58 Years Ago, 78 Million People Watched The Most Popular TV Show Finale Ever

Almost six decades ago, an eye-popping 78 million people tuned in to what was, at the time, the most-watched episode of television ever with the series finale of The Fugitive. A relatively new medium for entertainment, never before had an audience that large tuned into one show all at the same time. Other episodes of television may have surpassed 78 million in the decades since, but at the time, it was far and away the largest audience for a single episode of television.