Nielsen says final episode of ‘Afghanistan’ drew biggest ratings in 12 seasons
Pure ratings gold.
By Grumpy
HOLLYWOOD — Fans of “Afghanistan,” the longest-running military drama in U.S. history, tuned in for the show's finale in numbers not seen in more than a decade, according to ratings company Nielsen.
“We are very grateful to our loyal fans who stayed with us all the way through,” producers said in a statement. “And we also appreciate the fair-weather fans who returned to complain about the long-awaited end.”
Nielsen says the ratings were the highest since 2009’s two-part episode in which a U.S. soldier walked off his forward operating base and the entire U.S. Army mobilized to try and find him.
The show originally began as a primetime miniseries, “Northern Alliance,” which debuted in the fall of 2001. The series was an unqualified hit, and producers turned it into a full production that December, after Northern Alliance’s climax, “Loya Jirga,” shattered records for military-themed programming.
“We just completely blew away ‘Gulf War’ numbers,” sources told the TV trades at the tim…
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