The Game of Thrones Season 3 finale came oh-so-close to setting a ratings record last night.

The intense episode (titled "Mhysa") garnered 5.4 million viewers, just shy of the 5.5 million mark set a few weeks ago. But such a figure shows a 28 percent improvement over the Season 4 finale, continuing an impressive trend for the series.

Each season has averaged more viewers than the previous one, a feat matched by other long-time cable hits such as Dexter and Breaking Bad.

And although viewers won't be visiting Westeros again any time soon, there's no rest for the weary subscriber: True Blood Season 6 premieres this Sunday!

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.