‘Westworld’ Season 2 Ratings Drop From Season 1

“Westworld” wrapped up its second season on Sunday, with the HBO series coming up short of the numbers it delivered in Season 1.


Sunday’s finale nabbed 1.6 million viewers and a 0.6 rating in adults 18-49 in the Nielsen Live+Same Day ratings. That is even with the episode that aired last week, but down approximately 30% in total viewers and 40% in the demo from the Season 1 finale in 2016, which drew 2.2 million viewers and a 1.0 rating. Furthermore, Season 2 of the show has averaged a 0.6 rating and 1.6 million viewers per episode in Live+Same Day. That is down approximately 14% in total viewers and 23% in the key demo from Season 1, which averaged 1.8 million viewers and a 0.8 rating.


Of course, HBO has frequently touted the fact that “Westworld” sees the lion’s share of its viewership in multi-platform and delayed viewing. HBO estimates that Season 2 of the show will average 10 million viewers per episode when the final numbers are calculated. Those numbers are definitely nothing to scoff at, especially for a premium cable show. Still, HBO previously said that Season 1 of the show averaged 13.2 million viewers per episode, meaning its multi-platform decline is in line with the fall off it has seen in the live ratings.


Much of the cast from Season 1 returned for Season 2, including Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Ed Harris, Jimmi Simpson, Jeffrey Wright, James Marsden, and Tessa Thompson. New cast members this season included Gustaf Skarsgård, Jonathan Tucker, Fares Fares, Katja Herbers, Peter Mullan, Rinko Kikuchi, and Kiki Sukezane. The first season was also nominated for 22 Emmys, ultimately winning five.


“Westworld” was created for television by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, who serve as executive producers with J.J. Abrams, Richard J. Lewis, Roberto Patino, Athena Wickham and Ben Stephenson. Kilter Films and Bad Robot Productions produce in association with Warner Bros. Television.