The debut of a new HBO series is always an event, especially after the monster success of Game of Thrones. It was expected by many that combining the taste for stories that HBO viewers have with something as tantalizing as a new DC series that functions as a sequel to Watchmen would be too much to resist. The first reports on the first episode’s debut saw it deliver a decent enough rating with 1.5 million viewers tuning in for the live broadcast of the initial chapter, but compared to the adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire it’s not lighting up the ratings, which has left some wondering about just how well the series is actually doing.

In a new report, the numbers and HBO’s strategy for the series become more clear as the trade reports that the series is bringing in “an average of 7.1 million viewers across HBO’s linear channels and streaming platforms.” This would include fans watching as the series airs plus later on HBO Go, HBO Now, and when episodes re-air on HBO2. To compare the series to other HBO shows, Watchmen is the most-watched new series for the premium cable network since Big Little Lies debuted in 2017.

This weeks episode of the series saw the highest ratings since the premiere and with only two episodes remain in this season of the series it’s likely that the series will have strong legs throughout the holiday season as it’s replayed in its entirety and available for binge watching. This leaves the question of a renewal up in the air though. Creator Damon Lindelof previously said that they’ve planned for the nine episode first season to tell a full story but that if fans are eager for more then they would return.

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