Showtime’s ‘Tudors’ Finale Commands Viewers

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Showtime’s June 3 second-season climax of The Tudors ended with a ratings bang.

The pay service’s provocative original drama about Henry the VIII drew 852,000 viewers for its sophomore finale, 83% above the 465,000 viewers that tuned into the show’s season-one finale, Showtime officials said.

The 9 p.m. telecast is also the second-highest for the series, trailing only the 964,000 viewers for the show’s April 1, 2007 debut.

The season-two finale, along with an 11 p.m. replay, drew a combined 1 million viewers, 59% above last year’s 668,000 combined audience for last year’s finale (10 p.m. and 11 p.m.).

The premium network two months ago announced it was bringing back The Tudors for a third campaign in 2009. Production is slated to begin on June 16 in Dublin, with Jonathan Rhys Meyers once again reprising his role as the King.

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.