Game of Thrones wrapped its first season Sunday night with season highs in its finale. Some have asked how it performed relative to other HBO shows. It performed much better than most HBO telecasts. Of course nothing on HBO (and most of cable) tops True Blood, but even True Blood wasn't a juggernaut in its first season.
I've also included the season one ratings for Boardwalk Empire below as that's probably the most relevant recent HBO debut to compare. Overall, Boardwalk Empire performed better than Game of Thrones, though notably it peaked in its heavily promoted premiere and also had two more episodes in its first season.
All ratings are Live+SD (same day DVR viewing) of the first telecast of the episodes.
| Date | Episode Name | Viewers(Millions) | Adults 18-49 rating |
| April 17, 2011 (Series Premiere) | Winter Is Coming | 2.222 | 0.9 |
| April 24, 2011 | The Kingsroad | 2.202 | 1 |
| May 1, 2011 | Lord Snow | 2.438 | 1.1 |
| May 8, 2011 | Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things | 2.451 | 1.1 |
| May 15, 2011 | The Wolf and the Lion | 2.58 | 1.2 |
| May 22, 2011 | A Golden Crown | 2.444 | 1.2 |
| May 29, 2011 | You Win or You Die | 2.396 | 0.9 |
| June 5, 2011 | The Pointy End | 2.715 | 1.2 |
| June 12, 2011 | Baelor | 2.664 | 1.2 |
| June 19, 2011 (Season One Finale) | Fire and Blood | 3.041 | 1.4 |
Here are the first season results for Boardwalk Empire:
| Date | Viewers (Millions) | Adults 18-49 Rating |
| September 19, 2010 (Series Premiere) | 4.809 | 2.0 |
| September 26, 2010 | 3.329 | 1.5 |
| October 3, 2010 | 3.406 | 1.4 |
| October 10, 2010 | 2.572 | 1.1 |
| October 17, 2010 | 2.85 | 1.3 |
| October 24, 2010 | 2.812 | 1.2 |
| October 31, 2010 | 2.67 | 1.2 |
| November 7, 2010 | 3.213 | 1.5 |
| November 14, 2010 | 2.984 | 1.2 |
| November 21, 2010 | 3.049 | 1.3 |
| November 28, 2010 | 3.004 | 1.1 |
| December 5, 2010 (Season Finale) | 3.294 | 1.3 |
Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2011 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
