'The Leftovers' finale ratings are like a despondent shrug

One HBO drama concluded its first season, the other started its last: Sunday ratings are in for HBO’s The Leftovers finale and the final season premiere for Boardwalk Empire.

Boardwalk matched last season’s opener with 2.4 million viewers, with additional airings lifting the full night total to 2.9 million. So that’s on par.

The Leftovers ended with its typical modesty—1.5 million viewers (1.7 million for the night), which is on par with its slumpy first-season average (despite having True Blood powering most of its run as a lead-in). HBO points out the drama was up against NBC’s Sunday Night Football debut and that Leftovers generates about 7.3 million viewers when all forms of viewing are included. Still, the quasi-post-apocalyptic existential-funk series been a somewhat low-wattage entry this summer compared to HBO’s other dramas, especially when focusing on premiere-night viewing. HBO dramas often grow season by season, however, so The Leftovers could return stronger next year.