7 TV records and the shows that smashed them

From Digital Spy

Records are made to be broken, and this lot went above and beyond to prove that they truly are in a league of their own…

1. Largest simulcast: Game of Thrones

The HBO fantasy saga has demolished many a record over the course of its eight season-run, but one of the most impressive titles is the largest TV drama simulcast in the 2016 edition of the Guinness World Records (a fancy way of saying it's broadcast simultaneously in the largest number of countries).

'The House of Black and White' (season five, episode two) was shown in 173 different countries to combat piracy. (GoT used to be the most-pirated show, but The Walking Dead stole its crown in 2018, according to TorrentFreak.)

GoT's season-eight premiere also broke HBO's streaming record, racking up 17.4 million views on the Sunday it premiered.

2. Highest-rated show: Breaking Bad

In the 2014 edition of the Guinness World Records, AMC drama Breaking Bad reigned supreme as the highest-rated TV series after securing a 99 out of 100 metascore on MetaCritic.com for its fifth series.

The show overtook The Wire, which had a 98 out of 100 score.

It's important to note that this rating isn't about viewing figures but how critics from "leading media publications" responded to it.

3. Longest-running show: The Simpsons

Last year, The Simpsons overtook US Western drama Gunsmoke to become the longest-running prime-time scripted series of all time after it aired its 636th episode.

The show also takes the crown for the most guest stars featured in a single series. At the end of season 16, 337 people had appeared in 352 episodes. That then rose to more than 500 guest appearances by the end of season 22, and almost 700 by season 26 – and the show is entering its 30th season this autumn, so that number continues to rise.

From Snoop Dogg to Guillermo del Toro, Angela Bassett to Lady Gaga, this sitcom has welcomed 'em all.

4. Longest-running sci-fi show: Doctor Who

Doctor Who is the longest-running science fiction TV series of all time, the show first premiering all the way back in 1963.

It was awarded that title in December 2014, and with Jodie Whittaker and her new companions breathing a fresh lease of life into the latest series, we can't see anyone overtaking it, certainly not for the foreseeable.

5. Longest-running multi-camera comedy: The Big Bang Theory

This one's a bit of a mouthful, but the CBS sitcom is officially the longest-running multi-camera comedy ever with a mammoth 276 episodes.

Comedy classic Cheers was the previous record-holder.

But with the show set to end in May, will another series eventually take that crown?

6. Five-episode growth: Empire

Back in 2015, Empire broke a Fox record that had stood for more than 23 years.

The musical drama became, surprisingly, the only prime-time scripted series to enjoy an increase in its total number of viewers over the course of each of its first five telecasts since at least 1991.

Again, that's a bit of a mouthful, but one thing's for sure: it is, without doubt, a testament to the strong creative talent driving the series.

7. Most-watched TV drama (UK): Bodyguard

When the BBC political thriller burst onto the small screen, it felt like the entire country was talking about it which, when we think about it, was actually probably the case because it became the most-watched UK drama series across all channels since records began back in 2002 – the show's finale was watched by a whopping 17.1 million people. (Ratings were calculated differently before 2002 and are therefore not directly comparable.)

And it's also the most successful box-set series ever on BBC iPlayer, racking up more than 38 million requests.

But will season two reach the same heights? Our money's on yes.

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