The Gilded Age season 3 premiere has achieved remarkable viewership, surpassing expectations and setting new records for HBO.

The Gilded Age Season 3 Premiere Achieves Major Streaming Viewership Victory

The Gilded Age season 3 premiere’s viewership has already eclipsed the ratings of its highest-rated season. Creator Julian Fellowes’ 19th-century historical drama returned to HBO and Max on Sunday night, June 22, with all-new romances, intrigue, and even taking audiences to the Wild West at the onset of The Gilded Age season 3. The two-year wait for the third season hasn’t diminished viewers’ appetite for The Gilded Age in the slightest.

Variety reports that The Gilded Age season 3, episode 1 is the highest-rated season premiere of Julian Fellowes’ HBO series, with a 27% increase over the season 2 premiere, and a 30% jump above season 1’s first episode. These numbers account for audiences watching on HBO and streaming on Max in the first three days. Read Variety‘s rundown below:

In its first three days of availability, the Season 3 premiere reached 2.7 million viewers, according to Warner Bros. Discovery. That marks a 27% increase from the 2.1 million viewers who watched the Season 2 premiere in the same amount of time, and a 30% increase from Season 1’s 2 million viewers. These statistics account for a combination of viewers on HBO’s linear channel as well as streams on Max. It should be noted that the totals are incomparable to that of other titles on HBO, as the network typically reports viewership achieved in a single night rather than over the course of three days.

The Gilded Age Season 3’s High Viewership Is Even More Impressive

The Gilded Age’s Audience Continues To Grow

The Gilded Age is a bona fide hit for HBO, and its audience is expected to grow throughout season 3. The Gilded Age seasons 1 and 2 saw viewership grow week-by-week, and both season finale episodes enjoyed 50% jumps compared to season premieres. The Gilded Age finds a core audience who joins the show when a new season starts, and more viewers progressively join, maxing out at the end of each season. The Gilded Age season 2 averaged 7.1 viewers per week in the United States, not accounting for international audiences.

Anticipation for The Gilded Age season 3 also saw a massive boost in catch-up viewing. The week before The Gilded Age season 3’s June 22 premiere saw a 400% increase in streams of seasons 1 and 2. Not only did the two-year wait for season 3 not dim audiences’ interest, but viewers made sure they were caught up on seasons 1 and 2 before the premiere of The Gilded Age season 3.

Our Take On The Gilded Age Season 3’s Impressive Premiere Viewership

HBO Has To Greenlight The Gilded Age Season 4

The Gilded Age successfully translated Julian Fellowes’ Downton Abbey formula for American audiences, and viewers have responded by embracing the glamorous intrigue of 19th-century New York high society. The Gilded Age is an ideal escape into a period of American history of extravagance and low-stakes drama, and season 3 has refined its characters and storylines, introducing divorce for one couple while centering on the engagement of Gladys Russell (Taissa Farmiga) and the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb), arranged by Gladys’ mother, Bertha (Carrie Coon).

The interest in The Gilded Age may seem surprising to the uninitiated, but Julian Fellowes is a master of turning historical dramas into global sensations. After all, Downton Abbey ran for six seasons, and its third feature film, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, premieres September 12. The Gilded Age season 3 looks to equal, if not surpass, its previous seasons’ ratings growth, which will hopefully lead to HBO greenlighting The Gilded Age season 4.