Over 50 million viewers turned out for the final episode of Friends in the US on Thursday, provisional ratings figures show.

An average of 52.25 million watched the extended 66-minute episode, making it the fourth most-watched series finale in the history of TV behind Seinfeld (76.3 million), Cheers (80.4 million) and M*A*S*H (106.0 million).

Curiously, the figure wasn't the highest-rated for a Friends episode; the post-superbowl broadcast in 1996 pulled 52.9 million.

A retrospective show also posted big numbers in the preceding hour. 'The One with All the Other Ones' - taking a look back at the best moments from the ten seasons - averaged 35.9 million viewers.

The success of Friends provided a hefty inheritance for ongoing medical drama ER at 10pm, which managed 28.4 million viewers.