A lot of us get pretty involved in our TV series… that tiny little highlighted slot in a TV guide can’t convey the anticipation and pounding hearts that are associated with finales like that of Melrose Place, M*A*S*H* or Cheers! Today we check out which TV guide series finales have kept the largest numbers of people at home, eyes glued to screens!

1. The M*A*S*H* finale!

Stories still persist that the plumbing in parts of New York City broke down during the M*A*S*H* because of the combined pressure of so many homes flushing the toilet during the ad breaks of this TV guide program! It ran for 2.5 hours.

2. Cheers Finale!

80.4million people tuned in to watch the finale of Cheers, or around64% of the television owning public! It aired around 10 years after M*A*S*H* finished, and despite a far greater number of television sets in existence in the US, this TV guide program couldn’t quite beat Alan Alda’s effort!

3. Seinfeld finale!

Some  people thought that Seinfeld had been around in our TV guides for a little too long by the time the finale came around in 1998 … yet it still managed to keep 76.3 million people at home in front of the boob tube!

4. Friends finale!

‘Friends’ disappeared from our TV guides in 2004(though its stars remained in our movie guides for some years after). The finale was watched by 52 million people in the US.

5. Beverly Hills 90210!

Gone from the TV guides, but never from our hearts were Brenda, Brandon, Kelly Steve and Dylan in 1994. Beverly Hills90210 was also a favorite in Italy and Germany’s TV guides,and the corresponding entries in their movie guides did well too.