The Remote Island

Huge "ER" Finale Ratings Remind Us Of How Much Huger "ER" Used To Be

Posted by Jake Kalish

16.4 million people watched the ER finale - huge numbers, the biggest for a TV drama series finale since 1996, when Lansbury finally stopped writing on Murder She Wrote. 

But those numbers should be put in some perspective. Because for all the hype, the nonstop promos and buildup, those 16.4 million viewers represent about half of what ER regularly got during its Clooney/Edwards ratings peak - and less than a third of what a single second-season ER episode got. The ep where Doug Ross tries to save a boy from a storm drain was watched by almost 50 million people.

50 million. Think about that. Maybe it's a sign that ER stayed too long that we forget just how huge the show was back in the day.

PREVIOUSLY:

Did "ER" Take A Final Swipe At "Grey's Anatomy" With That Fractured Penis Scene?

"ER" Finale Is Tonight, We're Not Sure What To Expect

"ER": Doug Ross, Peter Benton, Carol Hathaway Show 'Em How It's Done

 


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About Jake Kalish

Jake Kalish is the author of Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights http://www.amazon.com/Santa-vs-Satan-Compendium-Imaginary/dp/0307406709/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208807460&sr=8-1

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    Jake Kalish is a freelance journalist and humorist whose work has appeared in Details, Maxim, Stuff, New York Press, Spin, Blender, Men's Fitness, Poets and Writers, and Playboy, among other publications. He is also the author of Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights.

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