“Veep” ratings decline to a new low without a stronger lead-in.
Ratings for the HBO comedy Veep have eroded throughout season 6, reaching an all-time low on Sunday, May 7th for episode 4, entitled “Justice,” attracting just 486,000 viewers and a 0.18 rating in the 18-49 demo, according to Showbuzz Daily. That’s down from the 659,000 viewers and 0.3 demo rating it drew for its season premiere after the Girls finale, which itself was down 40% from its season 5 opener per Deadline.
Both Veep and Silicon Valley have seen their ratings decline this season without having Game of Thrones as their lead-in. Instead, the shows air after The Leftovers, the critically lauded but low-rated series from Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof that’s currently in its third and final season.
All three shows have failed to reach 1 million viewers in live ratings since debuting their respective seasons last month, allowing Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to be HBO’s highest-rated Sunday night program since the finale of Big Little Lies.
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Fortunately, HBO pays less attention to live ratings due to its subscription-based model, allowing it to keep moderately rated shows on the air as long as its more popular series like Game of Thrones and Westworld continue to draw a large number of subscribers and, therefore, high revenue for the network.
Veep also likely draws many more viewers across multiple airings and all platforms such as HBO GO, HBO NOW, on-demand, and via DVR, averaging over 4 million total viewers a week for the past few seasons. But the show’s inability to develop a large fanbase has caught the attention of some outlets such as Esquire, which suggested that its low ratings may be due to the fact that it’s “too smart for its own good.”
Additionally, the politically focused comedy is an awards favorite, earning star Julia Louis-Dreyfus four consecutive Emmy Awards for her title role as Selina Meyers at a time when HBO continues to lose ground at award shows to streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon, as well as basic cabler FX.
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But it’s unclear how much more story there is to tell about the political life of the former VP-turned-unelected president following her failed presidential bid last season. Veep‘s current iteration under showrunner David Mandel, who succeeded creator Armando Iannucci following his departure at the end of the fourth season, is tracking Meyers’ post-presidential life, including her efforts to build a presidential library. But the lack tension and high stakes may be contributing to its declining viewership, even as it continues to provide plenty laughs with its barrage of insults and memorable lines in each episode.
Veep season 6 continues Sundays at 10:30 p.m. ET on HBO.