PENNYWISE JUST ATE THE RATINGS. THE NUMBERS ARE TERRIFYING.
HBO woke up to blood-red numbers this week — and in the best possible way. ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ episode 7 didn’t just climb… it surged, it devoured, it obliterated expectations, pulling in a jaw-dropping 5.8 million viewers across HBO and Max in just three days. That’s not a bump. That’s a feeding frenzy, and Pennywise is clearly hungry for more.
Meanwhile, HBO’s new comedy ‘I love L.A.’ quietly detonated a ratings milestone of its own, crossing the 1 million viewer mark with episode 6. Two shows. Two record highs. One absolutely dominant week for HBO’s original programming.
Let’s break down everything HBO just unleashed — and what it means for the streaming battlefield.
🔥 1. ‘Welcome to Derry’ Hits 5.8 Million — A Series Best and a horror Flex
episode 7 didn’t just outperform earlier episodes — it annihilated them, soaring to 5.8M viewers, the highest so far.
This combines:
Nielsen linear ratings
Max streaming data
…and the total is enough to cement the show as a certified hit.
Pennywise isn’t just haunting Derry — he’s haunting the competition.
🔥 2. The Show Is Now Averaging 10.7 Million Per episode (Yes, Really)
Let that sink in:
10.7 million viewers per episode.
That’s “upper-tier HBO prestige drama” territory — and it’s a horror prequel.
Across all episodes so far, Welcome to Derry has reached 18.3 million viewers, showing massive crossover appeal beyond horror fans.
This isn’t niche. This is mainstream event television.
🔥 3. It’s Now One of HBO Max’s Biggest Series Debuts EVER
According to Warner Bros. Discovery, Welcome to Derry now ranks among:
The Last of Us
House of the Dragon
…as one of the three biggest launches in HBO Max history.
That’s an insane company.
And this Pennywise prequel is holding its own — with a balloon in one hand and the streaming charts in the other.
🔥 4. Social Buzz Is Exploding — Up 60% Every Week
Engagement isn’t rising; it’s erupting.
WBD reports that conversation around the show has climbed nearly 60% every single week, with episode 7 outperforming the series premiere by 300%.
People aren’t just watching.
They’re talking.
They’re theorizing.
They’re spiraling.
This is exactly how a horror series becomes a cultural event.
🔥 5. Meanwhile, ‘I love L.A.’ Quietly Hits 1M and Makes HBO Max comedy History
While Pennywise steals the headlines, rachel Sennott’s ‘I love L.A.’ is becoming a sleeper breakout — hitting 1 million viewers, its own series high, with episode 6.
It’s now averaging 1.8 million viewers per episode, marking it as one of the fastest-growing comedy series in HBO Max history.
HBO didn’t just win this week — it won on two genres simultaneously.
Horror and comedy landed knockout punches side by side.
🔥 6. A Power Team Behind the Camera Is Fueling the Momentum
‘Welcome to Derry’ is powered by a stacked creative lineup:
Andy & Barbara Muschietti
Jason Fuchs
Bill Skarsgård
Brad Caleb Kane
Roy Lee
Dan Lin
With Fuchs and Kane co-showrunning and Muschietti directing multiple episodes, the show carries big-screen horror DNA into a prestige tv format.
‘I love L.A.’ shines under:
rachel Sennott
Emma Barrie
Aida Rodgers
Lorene Scafaria
It’s stylish, sharp, and rising fast.
HBO didn’t stumble into two hits — it built them.
FINAL VERDICT — HBO JUST HAD A MONSTER WEEK.
One show made us scream.
One show made us laugh.
Both conquered the charts.
‘It: Welcome to Derry’ is now a verified ratings monster, devouring audiences at a pace that rivals HBO’s biggest franchises.
‘I love L.A.’ is climbing like a rocket on the comedy side.
HBO didn’t just win sunday night — it dominated the streaming battlefield with savage precision.
And with more episodes coming?
Yeah… It’s about to get even crazier.
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