HBO’s Lanterns closed out its first season on a high note, with the series finale drawing a record 10.5 million global viewers during its first three days of availability.
The October 4 episode represents a 13% increase in global viewership compared with the series premiere during the same three-day measurement period. In the United States, the finale attracted 7.2 million viewers, according to the latest figures from HBO.
The strong finale numbers cap an impressive debut season for Lanterns, which is averaging 19.3 million global viewers and continues to rank among HBO’s top five series launches in the platform’s history. HBO also reports that viewership for the series premiere is now nearing 30 million viewers globally.
Lanterns premiered in August with 9.3 million global cross-platform viewers, including 6.6 million in the U.S., during its first three days on HBO and HBO Max. At the time, HBO said the series had surpassed the premieres of several major titles, including IT: Welcome to Derry, The Penguin, and True Detective: Night Country.
Those series went on to average 27.1 million, 19.8 million, and 17.5 million global viewers, respectively, giving Lanterns a strong benchmark as its audience continued to grow throughout the season.
Created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, Lanterns follows new Green Lantern recruit John Stewart, played by Aaron Pierre, and veteran Lantern Hal Jordan, portrayed by Kyle Chandler. The unlikely partners become involved in a murder investigation in the American heartland that ultimately leads to a much larger mystery with cosmic implications.
With its record-setting finale and growing overall audience, Lanterns has established itself as one of HBO’s biggest recent launches and could become an important part of the network’s expanding DC slate.
