‘Watchmen’ Premiere Draws 1.5 Million Viewers, Delivering HBO’s Strongest Digital Debut Since ‘Westworld’
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Watchmen, Damon Lindelof’s anticipated series based on the award-winning Alan Moore graphic novel, debuted Sunday night to strong numbers, delivering 1.5 million viewers across all HBO platforms.
The linear premiere telecast of the new drama starring Regina King was 21% above last week’s Succession season finale in the time slot. It also marked the strongest debut performance for a series on HBO’s digital platforms since the premium cabler debuted Westworld in 2016, another series based on an existing sci-fi/fantasy property.
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The 9 PM linear telecast of the freshman series averaged 800,000 viewers, making it premium cable’s most-watched new series debut this year.
The new series isn’t a straight adaptation of the graphic novel, but more of a sequel that finds an America ruled by long-serving President Robert Redford. Its an alternative 2019 America where the best intentions have seen technology curtailed, the police are now hidden by masks like the outlawed superheroes, and white supremacy has picked up the legacy of the infamous Rorschach.
King stars alongside Don Johnson, Jeremy Irons, Jean Smart, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Hong Chau, Andrew Howard, Tom Mison, Frances Fisher, Jacob Ming-Trent, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing and James Wolk.
The pilot was directed by Nicole Kassell from a script by Lindelof.
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