TV series / 1962-1992

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a TV series from 1962-1992. This page summarizes IMDb episode ratings across 22 seasons and 248 rated episodes.

22 seasons 248 rated episodes 8.0 average 6,793 episode votes

Ratings by Season

Rows are episode numbers. Columns are seasons.

Episode 12711121415161718192021222324252627282930
1 2.9
2 8.1 8.4 7.5
3 8.4 3.8 6.8 9.6 7.8
4 9.0
5
6
7 7.5
8 8.6 8.1
9 8.4
10 6.7
11 8.3
12 8.2
13
14 7.8
15
16
17 7.2 8.2
18 6.9
19 6.2
20 6.0
21 7.0 7.4 7.3
22 7.7 8.2
23 8.1 7.8
24 9.3 9.0
25 9.0
26 9.0 9.3
27
28 9.0 8.2 7.9
29 8.2 8.9
30
31 6.9
32
33 8.8 8.2 5.0
34
35 8.8 9.3
36
37 8.1 8.0
38 8.4
39 8.8 8.7
40 8.0 9.0 9.0
41
42 8.6
43 7.7
44
45
46
47 9.2
48 9.0 5.9
49
50 8.8
51 8.1 6.8
52 7.4 8.2 6.8
53 8.3 8.8
54 7.7
55 7.5 7.1
56 9.5
57 7.1 8.1
58 7.0
59 8.2
60 8.5 7.6
61 9.2 8.7
62
63 8.2
64
65 9.4 7.9 7.3
66
67 8.7
68 8.6
69
70 9.0
71 8.1 8.6 7.9
72 8.4 6.4 8.4 8.9
73
74
75 9.0
76
77
78 8.5
79 4.6
80
81
82 7.9
83 8.2 8.8
84 8.1
85 8.0 7.4
86 9.7 8.8 8.2
87 8.6
88 9.0 7.2 8.2
89 8.6
90 7.2
91 8.2 8.7
92 6.7
93 8.8
94 8.4 8.2
95 7.5
96 9.0
97 8.8 7.0
98 8.6
99 8.8
100
101
102
103
104
105 7.2
106 8.1
107 9.7 7.4
108 8.3 8.2
109
110 6.5
111 8.6 7.8 7.7
112 7.7
113
114
115 8.1
116 8.9 8.1 6.0
117 7.9 8.0 7.2
118 7.8 7.1 8.4 7.5
119 7.4 9.1
120 9.4
121
122
123 6.5
124
125
126
127
128 7.5 8.6
129 7.7 8.6
130 8.3
131 7.8 7.4
132 8.6
133 5.4
134 7.0
135
136 5.5
137
138 7.6 8.1
139
140
141 6.6
142 7.0
143 9.3 7.8
144 9.2 7.0
145
146
147 9.2 8.8
148
149 7.6 6.3
150
151
152 7.8
153
154
155
156
157 9.6 6.8
158
159 8.7
160 8.5 7.0
161 7.8
162 6.6
163
164 7.8
165 9.2 7.5
166
167
168
169 8.0
170 8.0
171 7.5
172 8.4 8.0
173 9.0 8.1
174 7.2
175 8.1 4.6
176 8.6
177 9.0
178
179 9.1
180 8.4
181 7.3
182
183 8.0 9.7
184
185
186 8.4
187 9.2
188 8.8 8.9
189 9.0
190 8.1 7.0
191
192
193
194
195 9.4
196
197 8.4
198 7.6
199
200
201
202
203 7.0
204
205 7.6
206 7.1
207
208 8.1
209 7.8 8.1 9.2
210
211
212
213
214 9.0
215
216
217
218 8.6 7.8
219
220
221 7.7
222
223
224 8.8 8.5
225 8.3
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233 9.4
234
235 8.2
236
237 7.9
238 9.1
239
240
241
242 8.4
243
244
245
246 4.2
247
248 8.6
249
250
251
252 9.5
253 8.6
254
255 8.2
256
257 7.2
258
259 8.9 8.0
260 8.6
261
262
263
264 8.0
265 1.3
266
267
268
269 8.8
270
271
272
273
274
275
276 8.7
277
278 8.4
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295 5.7
296
297
298 7.9
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309 5.4
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318 8.8
319
320
321
322
323
324 7.6

Series summary

About The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The rated episodes of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson have an average IMDb rating of 8.0 based on 6,793 episode votes. Season 17 has the highest average rating at 8.8 across 3 rated episodes. Season 2 has the lowest average rating at 7.3.

Genre
Comedy and Talk-Show
Runtime
105 minute episodes
Principal cast
Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, and Doc Severinsen
Writers
Jim Mulholland, Michael Barrie, and Hank Bradford
Directors
Bobby Quinn, Dick Carson, and Robert Ostberg
Also known as
Carson, Johnny Carson, and Late Night with Johnny Carson

Highest rated

Best Episodes

  1. S21E86: Bette Davis/Richard Pryor The best episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is S21E86: Bette Davis/Richard Pryor with a 9.7 rating / 195 votes
  2. S1E107: Skitch Henderson/Ed McMahon/Richard Chamberlain 9.7 rating / 151 votes
  3. S24E183: Bette Midler/Ana Obregón 9.7 rating / 47 votes
  4. S27E3: Bette Davis/Martin Short 9.6 rating / 223 votes
  5. S19E157: Suzanne Pleshette/Dick Cavett 9.6 rating / 12 votes

Lowest rated

Worst Episodes

  1. S1E265: Stanley Kramer, William Saroyan, John Gary The worse episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is S1E265: Stanley Kramer, William Saroyan, John Gary with a 1.3 rating / 125 votes
  2. S1E1: Premiere Show: intro by Groucho Marx; guests: Joan Crawford, Rudy Vallee, Tony Bennett, Mel Brooks 2.9 rating / 144 votes
  3. S24E3: Episode #24.3 3.8 rating / 38 votes
  4. S28E246: Episode #28.246 4.2 rating / 31 votes
  5. S24E175: Episode #24.175 4.6 rating / 41 votes