Ratings for “The Last of the Starks” hold strong as critics disapprove
By Corey Smith
It’s official: a lot of people watch Game of Thrones. Just how many people watched the May 5 episode, “The Last of the Starks”? According to Deadline, a whopping 11.80 million people tuned in to watch live. That number goes up to 17.2 million when you factor in HBO Go and HBO NOW viewers. That’s only slightly less than died in the Night King’s assault of Winterfell.
To get specific, that’s a 3.8% dip from “The Long Night,” which the highest watched episode in Thrones history. “The Last of the Starks” is still the third most watched episode of the entire series. That’s a far cry from what the show pulled in season 1, when viewership topped out around 3 million live viewers. It’s also a 16% increase in viewers compared to the fourth episode last season, the thrilling “The Spoils of War,” which featured Daenerys’ attack on the Lannister army.
Things are different on the critical side of thing, where the episode is taking a bit of a beating. It currently sits at 57% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 88 critics reviewing. The only episode with a lower rating is season 5’s “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” which sits at 54%.
In conclusion, there are numbers. We’ll keep an eye on all of them as the show heads into its final two episodes.
To stay up to date on everything Game of Thrones, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels