The cast of Friends sharing a tender moment in the series finale as they welcome the babies Image via NBC By Remus Noronha Published Aug 29, 2026, 9:33 PM EDT Remus is a writer, editor, journalist, and author with an eye for detail and an extremely active imagination. He is an enthusiast of everything to do with the graphic medium, whether it's Western comics and their adaptations or manga and anime. Remus is also the author of the sci-fantasy novel Once Upon a Time in Hyperspace and several works of short fiction in the mystery, comedy, and horror genres. Sign in to your Collider account Add Us Add on Google Preferred Source Google News Summary Generate a summary of this story Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Listen Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap In its century-long existence, NBC has dished out some of the most iconic shows and series of all time on American broadcast television. Across dramas, sitcoms, procedurals, live events, and more, the first and oldest major broadcast network has proudly remained a home to titles that have not only shaped American pop culture but have also become global cultural landmarks. Especially during the late '80s and through the '90s, primetime shows, dubbed as Must-See TV, drew large audiences. Dramas like ER and sitcoms like Cheers and Seinfeld raked in massive viewership for the network, a trend which continued with Friends .
All of these NBC productions have since remained television legends with massive followings, amassing fans from around the world and breaking records for television networks. While many of these shows, or parts of them, might not seem as culturally relevant today, at their time, they were definitive of their genre. With viewership of millions in many episodes, these shows played an undeniable part in ushering in the Second Golden Age of American television. Now, without further ado, here’s a look at some of the most-watched episodes in NBC history.
Michael Scott (Steve Carell) screaming at Stanley (Leslie David Baker) on 'The Office' episode "Stress Relief" Image via NBC A cult hit turned pop culture sensation, Greg Daniels ’ The Office boasts some of the greatest episodes seen in the history of American sitcoms that changed workplace comedy forever. While the workplace misadventures of the staff of The Dunder Mifflin Paper Company continued for nine years, the show’s most-watched episode came halfway through, in Season 5. The two-parter season finale features a fire drill in which Dwight ( Rainn Wilson ) fakes an office fire to test his coworkers' preparedness , Stanley ( Leslie David Baker ) suffers a heart attack, and Michael ( Steve Carell ) plans ways to relieve stress in the office. The episode also stars Jack Black , Jessica Alba , and Cloris Leachman as guest stars.
“Stress Relief” arguably features the most chaotic cold open of The Office and perhaps of sitcom history, and is also the most high-energy episode of the show. Airing immediately following Super Bowl XLIII, the season finale garnered 22.5 million views and earned the highest rating of the show’s entire run. Packed with meme-worthy, self-contained gags that resonate even with first-time viewers, “Stress Relief” is often considered the peak of The Office .
Frasier Crane says goodbye to Seattle Image via NBC Created as a spin-off of Cheers by David Angell , Peter Casey , a…