Coming into the Season 3 premiere of “Westworld,” a large part of the publicity and marketing campaign was to emphasize how the series is venturing into new territory, both figuratively and literally. This was clearly in response to the overall feeling from many fans that Season 2 took a great series (Season 1 was a massive hit for HBO and was a watercooler show in the same way that “Game of Thrones” was for the network) and turned it into a confusing mess. And judging by the premiere numbers of Season 3, it appears that many of those viewers aren’t willing to give the new episodes a shot.
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According to Variety, the premiere episode of “Westworld” Season 3 saw a drop of -57% from the premiere of Season 2. In pure numbers, the new episode was watched by 901,000 viewers, whereas the Season 2 debut was viewed by 2.1 million people. That’s a steep drop that has to concern HBO, who is hoping that the new episodes not only appeal to the hardcore viewers of the series but also attract new folks that might have been scared off by the reviews. Unfortunately, if the first episode’s numbers are any indication, the marketing and publicity failed.
Now, to be fair, there was a Democratic Debate on CNN, but as Variety points out, that debate was one of the least-viewed debates of the primary season, so it’s unlikely that had a massive effect on “Westworld.” And yes, there is the coronavirus pandemic that the world is dealing with, but that’s also supposed to mean more people staying inside, which means more people should be tuning into HBO.
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One episode’s ratings aren’t a trend. And for now, HBO doesn’t have to panic too much. But if these declines keep showing up for Season 3, the hope that “Westworld” would be the network’s new “Game of Thrones” could be dashed. We’ll just have to wait and see.
“Westworld” airs on Sunday nights on HBO.