TELEVISION | 2001 | LISTS

The 10 Highest Rated TV Shows 25 Years Ago

Here is a list of the top Nielsen-rated television shows from the year 2001 for the United States

ArildV, CC BY-SA 3.0 <>, via Wikimedia Commons

We have been in this millennium for over 25 years now. So much has changed in the world since then.

Technology has evolved so fast that it can be hard to keep up. Politics have become as divided as it has ever been, and the economy is so volatile that the outlook seems to change day by day.

Young people today often turn to TikTok and YouTube for their entertainment and just don’t watch movies or even television as much as previous generations did.

The year 2001 looked so different than the year 2026. What television shows were people watching 25 years ago? Here is a list of the top ten Nielsen-rated shows from the year 2001.

10. Leap of Faith, NBC (Nielsen rating — 11.0)

Despite being relatively popular, Leap of Faith only ran for one season on NBC.

In this sitcom, a woman, Faith Wardwell played by Sarah Chalke, calls off her wedding and leaves her boring life to start over.

The show itself was a mid-season replacement and only aired six episodes before it was canceled. Still, it was in the top ten of Nielsen-rated shows for that season.

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9. Will & Grace, NBC (Nielsen rating — 11.0)

The original run of Will & Grace was eight seasons from 1998 to 2006. It was later brought back by NBC for three more seasons starting in 2017.

On the show set in New York City, Will Truman, a gay lawyer played by Eric McCormack, and Grace Adler, a straight interior designer played by Debra Messing, are best friends and roommates.

One of the first prime time show with a lead character who was gay, Will & Grace was groundbreaking for NBC. During its run, it won 18 Primetime Emmy Awards. It was an important enough show that the Smithsonian Institution wanted its set.

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8. The West Wing, NBC (Nielsen rating — 11.4)

The West Wing aired on NBC for seven seasons from 1999 to 2006. The popular political drama starred Marin Sheen as Democrat President Josiah Bartlet.

The series focused on the lives of the fictional president and his White House staff. Over its run, The West Wing would be nominated for 98 Primetime Emmy Awards and win 27 of them.

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7. Monday Night Football, ABC (Nielsen rating — 11.5)

Are you ready for some football?

Monday Night Football annually pulls in more viewers than any other NFL game. 2001 was another good year for Monday Night Football.

Not only was it the most popular weekly football game in 2001, it was also the seventh Nielsen-rated production across the board that year.

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6. Survivor, CBS (Nielsen rating — 11.8)

Survivor has been on the air for over 25 years.

Hosted by Jeff Probst, the show Survivor has contestants compete to stay on a island, as well as for food and other amenities. Each week, a contestant is voted off the show by their fellow competitors.

I will admit, when I first heard of this show, I was intrigued. A show about survival of the fittest sounded interesting. I was disappointed when instead it was a show about conspiring and backstabbing.

But apparently Americans did not agree with me. In 2001, during its second season, it was the sixth most consistently watched television show.

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5. Law & Order, NBC (Nielsen rating — 12.6)

Law & Order first aired in 1990 and ran for an incredible twenty years until 2010. But that wasn’t enough for fans. In 2022, it was brought back and new episodes can still be found today.

The show is about the criminal justice system in New York City. Every episode is divided into two parts. The first half is about the homicide detectives investigating a crime, the second half is about the prosecutors trying the case.

The show has managed to stay fresh and topical. Many of the crimes they solve have real-life counterparts found in the headlines of the daily news.

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4. Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS (Nielsen rating — 12.8)

Everybody Loves Raymond aired from 1996 until 2005 for nine seasons with a total of 210 episodes.

Ray Barone played by Ray Ramon was the title character of this popular sitcom. He lived with his wife and three children. His parents lived across the street, and his brother Robert was a frequent visitor.

During its nine-season run, Everybody Loves Raymond was nominated for 69 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning 15 of them.

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3. ER, NBC (Nielsen rating — 14.2)

ER was yet another NBC hit that perpetually found itself at the top of the ratings list. The medical drama was the idea of the same man who wrote Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton.

Perhaps the biggest star to come out of the show was the handsome and affable George Clooney. The show was praised for its realistic hospital scenes, acting, and plot lines. It was criticized for the writers making it like a soap opera and killing off some key characters.

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2. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS (Nielsen rating — 14.5)

The original CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ran for 15 seasons from 2000 until 2015. Set in Las Vegas, the show focused on solving crime through the use of forensics.

It was ranked #2 according to Nielsen ratings during its second season in 2001.

Although the show ended after 15 seasons, the series led to four distinct spin-offs including CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, CSI: Cyber, and CSI: Vegas. The last series, CSI: Vegas, premiered in 2021 and had its final episode on May 19, 2024.

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1. Friends, NBC (Nielsen rating — 15.0)

In the 1990s, NBC knocked it out of the park with their Thursday night lineup in what they termed Must See TV.

One of their biggest hits was the show Friends, a sitcom about a group of young adults living in the heart of New York City. The show made the actors who played the main characters superstars throughout the world.

The sitcom Friends defined the 90s. Their clothes and hairstyle not only represent many of the fashions of the decade, but they also actually drove many of the trends.

Even in 2001, it was still the top Nielsen-rated show of the year. The show had an incredible ten year run from 1994 until 2004.

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Here are the next ten to round out the top 20: 11. Becker, CBS (10.7) 12. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC (10.4) 13. 60 Minutes, CBS (10.1) 14. Frasier, NBC (9.9) 15. JAG, CBS (9.9) 16. Inside Schwartz, NBC (9.8) 17. Judging Amy, CBS (9.8) 18. Just Shoot Me! NBC (9.3) 19. The King of Queens, CBS (8.9) 20. Yes, Dear, CBS (8.8) SOURCE

Many of the shows on the above list can still be watched today. Some are on reruns, some can be found streaming, and a handful are even still being aired.

What were your favorite shows from twenty-five years ago? Are any of them on this list? Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments.

As always, thanks for reading!

For another list from 2001: The 12 Biggest Hits from 25 Years Ago

If you like my listicles, you can find the complete list of them here, organized by subject: The Unabridged List of All of my Listicles

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