Game of Thrones Soars to Series Highs for Fiery Penultimate Episode
Paul Dailly
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Game of Thrones' final season is proving to be polarizing for fans, but the show is still killing it in the ratings.
Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 5, which aired Sunday on HBO reached new highs in the ratings.
In linear viewing, the telecast drew a record 12.5 million total viewers, easily beating the previous record (12.1 million) for Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 7.
With multiplatform viewing factored in, the numbers swelled to 18.4 (!) million viewers. This beats the previous record holder, Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 3, which had 17.8 million total viewers.
Related: Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 5 Review: The Bells
With one episode remaining, it's likely that the ratings will rise for the series finale, but there's now telling how high the show will go.
Sunday's episode, titled "The Bells" featured many deaths as the battle at King's Landing came to a wild conclusion.
The installment garnered a 48% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, becoming the worst-reviewed episode in the history of the series.
Looking ahead, Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 6 is the series finale.
It remains to be seen whether the ending will satisfy longtime fans, or if it will recieve a mixed response.
Related: Game of Thrones Series Finale Promo: Is The War Really Over?!
It makes sense that HBO is looking to expand the franchise with spinoffs given the ratings and interest from viewers for the show.
What are your thoughts on the ratings?
How do you think they will stack up for the series finale?
Hit the comments below.
Remember you can watch Game of Thrones online right here via TV Fanatic.
Game of Thrones concludes Sunday at 9/8c.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
