The Nielsens: September 10-16, 1984

These days, pretty much everyone walks around with a TV in their pocket, and there are so many viewing options that pretty much every show — no matter how popular it might be in the current definition of the term — is broadcast for a niche audience. But for decades, the small number of networks and the relative lack of options for rewatching anything meant that Americans watched a lot of the same stuff at the same time — and even programs that have largely been forgotten today drew what would now be considered massive ratings. In this recurring column, we take a fond and often somewhat mystified look back at the Nielsen ratings from long ago.

E/R
A full decade before George Clooney got his big break in ER, he got another big break in another E/R. If it's remembered at all today, Elliott Gould-led medical sitcom is generally regarded as a short-lived curio that failed to find an audience and lasted only a single season — which is all true enough, although it's also worth noting that the E/R premiere took the ratings crown the week it aired, pulling a 23 share and besting not only Miami Vice, but the still-mighty Miss America Pageant. That ratings magic wore off quickly, ultimately adding another busted series to the string of TV failures Gould racked up in the '80s; he'd eventually end up with a recurring part on Friends, while Clooney moved on to The Facts of Life and an array of short-lived shows before finally cementing his stardom on ER (alongside another E/R cast member, Mary McDonnell).