Its impressive performance at last week’s Emmy Awards did not turn it into an overnight blockbuster, but “Homeland” still achieved a viewership increase for its second season premiere.
The first showing of Sunday’s episode attracted 1.7 million viewers for Showtime, which marks a healthy increase from the 1.1 million figure for last year’s series premiere.
With re-runs included, “Homeland” attracted 2 million viewers Sunday night, besting last year’s 1.4 million tally.
Combined with “Dexter,” the “Homeland” performance gave Showtime its most-watched Sunday night on record. The veteran serial killer series garnered 3 million viewers for the evening, ahead of the 2.8 million mark for last year’s bow.
Given the show’s age and the poor reception to “Dexter”‘s sixth season, the increase in viewership for the seventh premiere is quite the accomplishment.