Kenny Powers is the man who can throw the ball faster than f*ck, and based on ratings data for Sunday’s season premiere, he is definitely building a fanbase.
In its six-episode first season, “Eastbound & Down” developed a cult following and inked a second season renewal despite ratings that were disappointing even by HBO standards. Thanks to Danny McBride’s Kenny Powers taking off, however, the show returned Sunday as a much stronger performer.
By no means was the 1.7 million viewer average for the “Eastbound” season premiere a home run, but in building significantly from both its first season premiere and its “Bored to Death” lead-in (1.1 million viewers), the edgy comedy definitely got its second season off to a good start.
It also provided HBO a dose of positive news to counter for the fact that “Boardwalk Empire,” now against a full slate of network competition, fell dramatically from its series premiere to just 3.3 million viewers. The show, already renewed by HBO for a second season, fell 31% from last week’s episode.
Of course, with a combined 4.4 million viewers for the first two telecasts of the week, “Boardwalk” is still an impressive performer by HBO standards.