Andy Rooney concluded his final essay for “60 Minutes” last night in front of an audience that may have reached more than 17 million viewers. Early Nielson reports show about 17.4 million people turned in for the CBS broadcast, although those stats don’t account for the NFL overrun into the program’s typical 7 p.m. timeslot.

The appearance was Rooney’s 1,097th essay for the newsmag broadcast, which was proceeded by an interview with Morley Shafer.

The seasoned writer’s final segment was similar to most of his work over the past three decades, says Elizabeth Flock of BlogPost:

 In typical curmudgeon fashion, Rooney, 92, told viewers in a final message that if they saw him out and about to leave him alone. ”Please, just let me eat my dinner,” he said.

But Lisa de Moraes of The TV Column found some softer spots:

In an unusually non-crotchety final commentary, Rooney told viewers, “Not many people in this world are as lucky as I’ve been.”