Remember on Sunday’s Game Of Thrones finale when [redacted] totally [redacted] [redacted]? So do the other 4,199,999 people who tuned in, marking a 38 percent jump from the number of people who watched season one's finale. Add in the 910,000 people who tuned in to the later re-airing of the episode that same night, and that means 5.1 million people watched Joffrey be a total jerk last night. The rising ratings tide lifted all other boats on HBO’s line-up too, with both Veep and Girls drawing more than a million viewers, marking a series high for the latter.
Thrones’ big numbers should come as no surprise, considering the series’ numbers have been up all year. In fact, 74 percent more people watched the season two premiere than watched the series' kickoff. Apparently the American people really do like watching gratuitous nudity and violence, just like 13-year-old Adam Friedberg suspected.