Lanterns Breaks Another HBO Series Record For Finale Amid Season 2 Fate Concerns

Published Oct 8, 2026, 2:58 PM EDT Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour. This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.The Lanterns season 1 finale broke records for HBO. According to Deadline, 10.5 million viewers around the world (7.2 million from just the United States) watched the Lanterns season 1 finale in the first three days since it aired on HBO and HBO Max, making it the highest-rated episode of the entire season and a 13% increase from the premiere. The show's average viewership across the entire season is 19.3 million, cementing Lanterns as one of the top five debuts for an HBO show. After the series began on August 16, the premiere episode drew in 9.3 million viewers worldwide in the first three days, higher than True Detective: Night Country, The Penguin and IT: Welcome to Derry. Over the past eight weeks, that number has surged to almost 30 million. More to come... This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available. Lanterns Lanterns - Season 1