‘True Detective: Night Country’ Audience Jumps 28% With Episode 2, Hitting 2.6 Million Viewers

Viewership of “True Detective: Night Country” saw a 28% increase with its newest installment on Sunday night. After the season premiered with 2 million viewers last week, Episode 2 reached 2.6 million viewers.

These numbers, which combine Nielsen’s measurement of linear viewers on HBO with first-party data from HBO regarding streams on Max through each episode’s first night, represent success for “Night Country,” which is the fourth installment of “True Detective.” For comparison, the majorly acclaimed fourth season of “Succession” premiered in with 2.3 million viewers — while enjoying the benefit of concluding its third season more recently while “True Detective” has been off the air for five years —then dipped down to 2 million with its second episode. Season 2 of “The White Lotus,” which more closely matches “True Detective’s” anthology style, premiered with 1.5 million viewers, and while data is unavailable regarding Episode 2, Episode 6 set a then-series high of 2.3 million viewers, which “Night Country” has already surpassed.

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The season is also doing well in delayed viewing. According to Warner Bros. Discovery, in the week since its debut, Episode 1 has risen from 2 million to 7.5 million viewers across all platforms.

“True Detective: Night Country” follows detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) as they investigate the disappearance of eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station in Ennis, Alaska. Along with Foster and Reis, the cast includes Finn Bennett, Fiona Shaw, Christopher Eccleston, Isabella Star LaBlanc and John Hawkes.

The season will run for six episodes.

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