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Television
Top 10 most-watched shows of the decade
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-12-03 09:13
6. GREY'S ANATOMY
* Airdate: February 5, 2006
* Viewers: 38 million
Code black! This post-Super Bowl episode of ABC's medical soap was jam-packed with attention-getting drama for the football crowd -- supply-closet sex, a doctor giving birth, a lesbian shower scene and guest star Christina Ricci as a paramedic with her hand on the trigger of a bomb that's also inside her patient. The episode sealed "Grey's" hit status and proved girly shows can score ratings touchdowns after the Big Game, too.
7. WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE
* Airdate: May 3, 2000
* Viewers: 36 million
Three "Millionaire" episodes from the same week in May are clumped together on the most-watched list, as Regis fever swept the country. ABC was criticized for airing this flashy new game show three or even four nights a the week, though we'll never know if the network's scheduling saturation was to blame for the show's demise two years later or if the game show's popularity with viewers was destined to be short-lived.
* Viewers: 33.7 million
The seventh-season finale of "Cheers" spin-off "Fraiser" promised to end the suspense over Niles Crane's swooning over physical therapist Daphne Moon. Niles confesses his love for Daphne on the eve of her wedding, only to be rejected ... or so it seemed at first.
9. EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND
* Airdate: May 16, 2005
* Viewers: 32.9 million
The series finale for Ray Romano's long-running sitcom went off the air as a top 10-ranked show among total viewers. The episode was only subtly climatic, with Ray Barone's routine surgery resulting in a moment where his family thought he might have died. The episode concluded with the Barones talking and laughing around the dinner table.
10. SPIN CITY
* Airdate: May 24, 2000
* Viewers: 32.8 million
Yes, we were surprised, too -- and the ratings coup is not for the series finale. This was the final episode starring Michael J. Fox, who left the show because of his worsening Parkinson's symptoms. Charlie Sheen took the lead role for two more "Spins" seasons, and Fox had a brief return in the final year.
8. FRASIER
* Airdate: May 18, 2000
