Wizards of Waverly Place Most Watched Finale Ever

Selena Gomez and her friends on Wizards of Waverly Place signed off in style, setting Disney Channel’s record for the most-watched finale ever.

Friday evening’s special one-hour telecast of the series boasted 9.8 million total viewers from 8-9 p.m., topping CBS’ A Gifted Man in the hour for viewership by nearly 1.5 million. Easily the franchise’s most-watched episode, the closer also set series bests among kids 6-11 (4.2 million) and tweens 9-14 (3.8 million).

Notably, the Wizards of Waverly Place finale is the current TV season’s most-watched cable telecast among scripted programs. For a point of reference, the comedy has usually hovered around the 4 million mark during its four-season run.