Stephen Colbert’s Late Show Finale Is His Biggest Weeknight Episode Ever

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Stephen Colbert is saving the best for last.

Historic numbers are in for the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, as it averaged 6.74 million total viewers on Thursday, according to Nielsen’s preliminary live fast national ratings.

With those totals, Colbert delivered the most-watched weeknight episode in the show’s nearly 11-year history. Regarding Colbert’s most-watched episode ever, The Late Show scored 20.55 million total viewers for its post-Super Bowl episode on Feb. 7, 2016.

The 6.74 million figure is pretty respectable given today’s fractured TV landscape. The episode also drew more viewership than the show’s premiere with Colbert on Sept. 8, 2015, which averaged 6.55 million viewers.

During the first quarter of this year, The Late Show was seen by an average of 2.69 million viewers, according to Nielsen’s national live+7-day big data ratings.

Colbert’s final episode was a celebratory affair featuring celebrity cameos, musical numbers, and a sing-along with Late Show staff members.

The Beatles legend Paul McCartney was The Late Show’s surprise final guest, closing out the show with a live, in-studio performance of The Beatles’ “Hello Goodbye.”

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