Here are the 20 most-watched episodes of TV ever, ranked

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seinfeld 4

NBC

The "Seinfeld" series finale.

In today's streaming age, live broadcasts of important TV episodes are no longer the massive cultural events they once were.

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According to Nielsen's measurements of the top network telecasts of all time, the top 20 most-watched TV episodes ever all date back at least a decade. (The "Seinfeld" finale episode in 1998, which had a very mixed reaction, was the most recent episode to crack the top 100.)

Decades-old miniseries like "Roots" and "The Thorn Birds" and finale episodes of the most popular shows in TV history dominate the list.

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We compiled the data from Nielsen on the most-watched broadcasts ever to create this list of the top episodes of TV.

Note: We've excluded from the list all live broadcasts, including Super Bowls and award shows, as well as movies broadcasted on TV - all of which appear prominently in Nielsen's top 100.

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Check out the top 20 most-watched episodes of TV ever: