Nielsen Ratings

When TV viewers or entertainment professionals in the United States mention "ratings" they are generally referring to Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by the New York City-based firm Nielsen Media Research to determine which shows television viewers watch at what times. Other ratings systems include those developed by Arbitron for radio programming and the Q Score for general markets.

Annual top-rated shows

Each year, one program (or, in some cases, a tie) earns the highest average Nielsen rating for the corresponding television season. Here are past record-holders:

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• 1950-1951–Texaco Star Theater
• 1951-1952–Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
• 1952-1955, 1956-1958–I Love Lucy
• 1955-1956–The $64,000 Question
• 1958-1961–Gunsmoke
• 1961-1962–Wagon Train
• 1962-1964–The Beverly Hillbillies
• 1964-1967–Bonanza
• 1967-1968–The Andy Griffith Show
• 1968-1970–Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In
• 1970-1971–Marcus Welby, M.D.
• 1971-1976–All in the Family
• 1976-1977–Happy Days
• 1977-1979–Laverne and Shirley
• 1979-1980, 1982-1983, 1991-1993–60 Minutes
• 1980-1982, 1983-1984–Dallas
• 1984-1985–Dynasty
• 1985-1989–The Cosby Show
• 1989-1990–Roseanne
• 1990-1991–Cheers
• 1993-1994–Home Improvement
• 1994-1995, 1997-1998–Seinfeld
• 1995-1997, 1998-1999–ER
• 1999-2000–Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
• 2000-2001–
• 2001-2002–Friends
• 2002-2004–
• 2004-2005–American Idol