The new series pulled in 2.3 million viewers in it debut airing for the best HBO premiere since Boardwalk Empire launched in 2010 with 4.8 million viewers. True Detectives beat both the 2011 Game Of Thrones opener’s 2.2 million and the now-heading for its third and final season The Newsroom, which drew 2.1 million in its 2012 beginning.
True Detective went out on a high note Sunday, with the Season 1 finale drawing a series-high 3.5 million viewers — a 50 percent increase from the 2.3 million that tuned in for the premiere. Per HBO, with an average gross audience of 11 million viewers season to date, the acclaimed thriller ranks as the cabler’s most watched rookie series since Six Feet Under‘s 11.4 million in 2001.
The show’s Season 2 premiere drew 3.2 million viewers, a 36 percent increase over Season 1’s opener (2.3 million). It was the drama’s second most-watched episode to date, behind the Season 1 finale’s 3.5 million viewers.
The 90-minute Season 2 finale of the Colin Farrell, Taylor Kitsch, Rachel McAdams and Vince Vaughn starring show was watched by 2.73 million on Sunday, according to Nielsen. While that’s the best the show has done since the second episode of this season, the 9 PM broadcast was down 22% from the 3.5 million who tuned in for the Season 1 ender last spring.