‘Mad Men’ series finale scores show’s best ratings ever

While “Mad Men” may have been one of the greatest television series in history, it would be a lie to say that it was a ratings monster the entire way. It was always a small hit by AMC standards, supported mostly by the upscale viewership it held and the critical acclaim. Had it not had these two things, who knows if it would have lasted for seven seasons and almost a decade’s worth of time on the air?

If nothing else, Jon Hamm, Matthew Weiner, and the rest of the team can celebrate ending with some of the best ratings that they have ever received. The series finale officially received 3.3 million viewers, and also a 1.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic. These are the best numbers ever for the show in each measure, and it shows that there is still some mass-market appeal. Granted, these numbers are still tiny fractions of a show like “The Walking Dead,” but it is not a mainstream thing to watch a series about ad executives and a guy who assumes another name after a tragedy at war. Zombies are more accessible!

Now, we hope that AMC finds a way to migrate some of these viewers to their upcoming summer programming. While “Fear the Walking Dead” probably will not reach the heights of the flagship show, we still expect it to be a solid hit for them; meanwhile, we are sending telepathically good vibes for “Halt and Catch Fire,” one of our favorite shows of 2014 that really needs the extra ratings boost.

For now, it’s crazy to think that this may be the last story we write on “Mad Men,” at least depending on if some more news comes out. We’re going to miss this show…