Game of Thrones Finale Leads to Record Viewership for HBO

The series finale of Game of Thrones earlier this week brought in a record number of viewers for HBO. The episode, entitled “The Iron Throne,” garnered 13.6 million viewers in its debut broadcast. According to variety.com, viewership increased to 19.6 million when the network counted those who tuned in for repeat broadcasts. The show’s penultimate episode from last week held the previous record for the series’ most watched episode, having been seen by a total of 18.4 million viewers. These numbers do not account for on demand and streaming service viewings, which typically average 43 million viewers per episode. The Hollywood Reporter notes that season eight of the series, which only encompassed six episodes, had five of the show’s highest rated episodes. HBO’s previous viewership record was held by the season four premiere of The Sopranos in 2001, which brought in 13.4 million viewers.

Despite the record-breaking night, fan reaction has been mixed on the finale. The episode currently holds a 51% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics suggesting that the once mighty series ended with a whimper. While fans were more or less pleased that Bran Stark had ascended to the throne of Westeros, reactions to the fates of several of the other characters were less than enthusiastic. The penultimate episode, which featured Daenerys Targaryen embrace the brutal legacy of her family and slaughter the residents of King’s Landing, set up the character as the finale’s major villain. The episode saw Daenerys killed by Jon Snow before she could get a chance to even sit on the Iron Throne, an ending that most fans saw series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weis telegraph early on. Meanwhile, Jon Snow’s fate was more divisive. As punishment for killing Daenerys, Jon was sentenced to a life of servitude with the Night’s Watch, essentially returning him to the place he started at in season one. Many critics felt that this move was a disservice to the character, who had shown much growth in the past few seasons as a military and political leader.

While fans might be divided on the show’s ending, the cast has nevertheless taken to social media to tell of all the wonderful experiences they had filming Game of Thrones. Arya Stark actress Maisie Williams likened leaving the show to losing a limb, saying that she cried after filming her final scenes. Sophie Turner, who plays Williams’ onscreen sister Sansa, told fans that her character has taught her how to be brave and transformed her into a better person.