HBO's 'Westworld' season 3 premiere took a huge viewership hit from last season's, down 57%

HBO

"Westworld" season 3

• The "Westworld" season three premiere was watched by 901,000 viewers during the live airing on HBO on Sunday, compared to 2.1 million viewers for the season two premiere in 2018.
• 1.7 million viewers watched the season across all of HBO's platforms, so the series is still one of HBO's most popular.
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HBO's "Westworld" took a huge hit in viewership when the show returned on Sunday after a long hiatus.

901,000 viewers tuned in for the live airing on HBO compared to 2.1 million viewers for the season two premiere in 2018. That's a 57% drop in live viewership. 1.7 million total viewers watched across all of HBO's platforms, including its standalone streaming component, HBO Now.

But "Westworld" is still one of HBO's most-watched shows.

For comparison, the "Westworld" season three debut was 24% higher than "The Outsider's" premiere and 13% higher than the "Watchmen" debut, according to Variety. The "Watchmen" finale drew 1.6 million viewers across all platforms, which is on par with the season two finale of "Westworld."

"Westworld" could have been hindered by CNN's Democratic presidential debate on Sunday, which drew nearly 11 million viewers.

Season three has earned positive reviews so far from critics, with an 81% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Atlantic called it "a zanier, sillier 'Westworld,' and much more entertaining for it."

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