Image: Game of Thrones
Since it debuted this past Sunday, TV fans everywhere are buzzing about Westworld, HBO’s new sci-fi drama. We recapped the premiere episode—”The Original”—with an eye toward how it compares to Game of Thrones, HBO’s current flagship show. Don’t worry: we’re not going to thoroughly cover Westworld on this site, but with Thrones prepping for its penultimate season, the question of how HBO will replace it is hanging in the air. Could Westworld be the answer?
The critics seem to like it, which is a good sign. But HBO may be even happier with the ratings. According to Forbes, “The Original” brought in 3.3 million live viewers, and that’s not accounting for Live+3 or Live+7 day viewers. Those are the best ratings for a premiere episode on HBO since “True Detective” debuted in 2014. That episode—”The Long Bright Dark”—pulled in 2.33 million viewers. The numbers for “The Original” also far outstrip those for the series premiere of “Vinyl,” the network’s last big pet project. Only .764 million tuned in to watch the first episode of that series, which HBO cancelled after its first season.
Notably, ratings for “The Original” also outstripped those for “Winter is Coming,” the series premiere of Game of Thrones. That episode pulled in 2.22 million viewers. That’s very solid, but well below what “Westworld” did. Surely, HBO is thrilled.
That said, the network had to pay for this success. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The Original” by itself cost $25 million to make, while the season as a whole cost $100 million. Game of Thrones is an expensive show, but the pilot cost a comparatively modest $5-$10 million, with most of that going toward the elaborate sets, costumes, and on-location shooting. Westworld has all of those expenses, as well, but it also features a roster of well-known actors used to sizable paychecks, including Ed Harris, James Marsden, and Anthony Hopkins. While Game of Thrones Season 1 featured movie star Sean Bean in the lead role, most of the cast members were largely unknown to American audiences. In order to justify their lofty budgets, both shows needed to be hits, but that’s more true of Westworld than it was of Thrones.
HBO will be watching Westworld’s ratings closely over the course of its first season. If it’s lucky, the numbers will mimic Game of Thrones’ and grow throughout the year. (Every season of Thrones has been watched more than the one before it.) But it could also go the way of HBO’s The Leftovers, a science fiction-themed show that saw its numbers drop off after the premiere and never recover. (The third and final season of The Leftovers, which will feature fewer episodes than usual, will air next year.)
So do Westworld’s strong ratings mean it can replace Game of Thrones as the cornerstone of HBO’s programming lineup? It’s too early to tell, but we’re pulling for it, and for the network.
And now, here’s the Westworld opening credits set to a western version of the Game of Thrones theme song. Because why not?
h/t CheatSheet