HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” a show about the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, launched last March to softly positive reviews and a solid ratings start on the network.
Cut to this month with the second season launching two weeks ago to similar soft reviews, but this time the ratings numbers were down – notably. The second season premiere had 629,000 total viewers tuning in across Max and linear telecasts.
That’s a bit of a drop from the 901,000 people who tuned in for the first season premiere, and the 1.6 million same-day viewers who checked out the first season finale.
HBO takes into account delayed viewing as same-day viewership of new episodes only tends to draw 10%-20% of total viewership on Sunday nights – that was visible with “Winning Time” which averaged 1.2 million viewers per episode on premiere nights before growing to 6 million viewers per episode with delayed viewing.
Now author Jeff Pearlman, whose book inspired the series, is imploring fans to get their eyeballs on the new season ASAP as he’s concerned about the show’s potential chances for renewal. He says in a recent posting on Twitter here and here:
“I’m telling you — the future of “Winning Time” hangs in the balance,” Pearlman tweeted. “We need viewers. The strikes are crippling. Please help spread the word. Season 2 is amazing. But … HBO is big on #s
To be blunt, I’m worried there won’t be a season three. And it’s not about me. I’m fine. It’s about a cast of amazing young actors who live this. So, seriously, tell your friends to support “Winning Time” and show @hbo you want it to continue. Peace.”
The third episode of the show’s second season is scheduled to air this Sunday on HBO and will be available simultaneously on Max.