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Airing against the big football game on NBC, the third season finale of HBO’s True Blood drew 5.4 million viewers, up 5% from the second season finale and just 60,000 viewers shy of last week’s series high. Another 1.1 million watched vampire drama’s closer at 11:30 PM. Following True Blood, the finales of Hung and Entourage brought in 2.3 and 2.7 million viewers, respectively, down from last week’s averages of 2.5 million and 2.9 million. All 3 HBO series have already been renewed for another season. Over at TNT, The Closer and Rizzoli & Isles wrapped up their red-hot summer seasons last night with 7.2 million and 6.6 million viewers, respectively. The two dramas rank as the most watched cable series ever.
Speaking of the Sunday football game, NBC today released the final numbers. The Sunday Night Football season premiere featuring the Cowboys vs. Redskins averaged 25.3 million viewers to become the most-watched Week 1 primetime game in 14 years and the most-watched SNF game ever.
UPDATE: Football kept the momentum with another big showing on Monday. The 2010 season-opening Monday Night Football doubleheader on ESPN delivered the network’s highest-rated and most-viewed opening night, helping ESPN win the night among all networks (broadcast or cable) in households, viewers and all key male and adult demos. The Baltimore Ravens’ 10-9 road victory over the New York Jets in the first prime-time game at the New Meadowlands Stadium at 7 p.m. ET drew 15 million viewers, the second largest audience for any program on cable television in 2010. It is the highest rating of ESPN’s 10 MNF opening night games. At 10:15 p.m., the Kansas City Chiefs’ 21-14 win over the San Diego Chargers averaged 11.9 million viewers.
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Too bad it blew big time. Last year we got a mystical orgy of death climaxing with the big bad Maenad Maryann getting gored to death by Sam in Brahman Bull form, while this year we got a a half-dozen dangling story-lines and the big bad getting the quiet mob execution treatment. Blerg.
That bit with Alan Ball following the end of the episode almost seemed like a mea culpa designed to get us to please, please, please not give up on the show which has so thoroughly disappointed towards the end.
Totally agree. I’ve been a big fan of True Blood from the start but the last episodes of this season were tumbling downhill at an alarming rate. And when they announced at the start of the finale that AB would be speaking after the show we thought the same thing. Oh-oh! An apology for the crappy finale and we were right! This season sucked, and not in a good way.
Ha! It’s like we can read each other’s minds. Like Sookie and her nephew.
yes, the Alan Ball bit was really strange. I’m hoping next season TB can get back to the things that made it so much fun season 1.
No joke. Part of that is Dark Sam needs to return to being Old Sam, and Jason needs to return to boning random chicks and forget about being the messiah of Hot Shot. Tara was speaking for Alan Ball when she said, ““I wish I could reboot.”
Luckily, HBO has Boardwalk Empire which is bound to get many awards. The critics are already giving it high praise.
For what it’s worth, the New Yorker trashed Boardwalk Empire– said it was beautiful but lifeless. Which is basically what I thought of the trailer.
All right, I am so sick of hearing from you guys every time HBO is mentioned. HBO is hitting it out of the park! HBO is coming back strong!! HBO is doing amazingly well this season! HBO will get many awards! I hope they pay you extra to be so totally relentless in your HBO-mongering. But come on guys, it’s embarrassingly obvious what you are doing. And boring. And you lose all credibility. Stop, please.
Couldn’t believe how bad the Entourage season finale was. Truly painful.
Last night’s finale reaffirmed why Entourage is one of the most clever, original, funny and intelligent shows of our decade. It was brilliant.
You’re kidding, right CW? The Entourage finale was one of the best since the series began. Doug Ellin is going out with a BANG.
The True Blood finale, like the season itself, was just fine. It was fun and inventive having each major character involved in a cliff-hanger, because the show truly is an ensemble piece. Let’s just hope Tara stays in her convertible and keeps driving away, far away. Her bad acting, wide eyes and double-takes, sniffling and screaming, is one of the few flaws in a fun show. Jason’s role as savior to the white trash clan doesn’t look promising, I agree, but let’s hope his endearing stupidity leads him and them into fun jeopardy. And let’s remember True Blood on a bad night still beats the rest of TV.
LOL, I couldn’t agree with you more about Tara. I said the same thing, keep driving and don’t come back.
No, not kidding. Thought it was melodramatic, repetitive as hell and devoid of laughs. Did other people like it? I’d be really surprised. I fear Doug Ellin has come to believe writing is figuring out how many cameos you can squeeze into an episode. It was so bad, I was able to convince my wife to watch football.
Entourage tanked this year. The acting of turtles love interest and Sasha Grey have been a joke at best. Turtle acting all business man is not right for the character, I’m all for character development but it has to fit the limitation of the actor. Here’s another thing I noticed. Ever since Entourage has gone into syndication(spiketv) I’ve noticed ALOT less swearing and sex, nudity or pot smoking(although Vinnie did some coke on screen once or twice) which let’s face it is the shows bread and butter. True Blood was VERY bad but didn’t see the previously mentioned “Alan Ball mea culpa” since I live in Canada the programming works a little different. I would love to see the total swear word count for this season compared to previous seasons for Entourage. Once I found out they cut the episode lengths down to better fit when the episode hits syndication all I can see are sell-outs. Is Doug Ellin a sell out? Someone on the show reads Finke so speak up! I know HBO isn’t but Doug Ellin I’m not so sure. I just know the rumours of him and Ally Musika(spelling?) having a good ol time at the office
Wow. This is a particularly snarky cheap-shot ridden comment thread here today. Lame industry hacks undermining more successful and imaginative players.
But seriously, this VENKMAN! Some couch potato from Saskatchewan who says he only knows what he sees on Canadian cable? Is spreading gossip on Doug Ellin’s office sex life? He must feel so good about his inside poop as he delivers the Molson today. That sh*t falls below the bar. And my bar is pretty low.
Turtle was amazing this season, as was Sasha Grey. These characters are changing and not exactly for the better, but that’s what Entourage is, a realistic tale about life in the spotlight.
TV Critic Alan Sepinwall is predicting Boardwalk Empire might win over Mad Men for best Drama at next years Golden Globes. I wouldn’t be surprised if it won best drama.