Thursday, December 26, 2024

Sunday Ratings: HBO’s “Euphoria” Grows By 16% But Still Beaten by Showtime’s “Billions”

Every dog has its day, someone once said. And now that dog is “Billions.”

Showtime’s highly entertaining but awards-starved drama is in its 6th season. One of its stars left at the end of last season. But now “Billions” has become a go-to for Sunday night cable fans.

Two nights ago  “Billions” pulled in a respectable 330K viewers. And it beat, once again, HBO’s offering– “Euphoria.” Even thought “Euphoria” jumped 16% from its previous week, the hardcore sex and tech teen marathon drew only 310K viewers.

The Daily Beast has a good piece today about the collapse of “Euphoria” from cult darling to most ridiculed show on social media. I tried watching the first two episodes on HBO on Demand, and, wow, it’s too much. If high school had really been the way it is in “Euphoria,” we’d all be dead, and in hell.

But kudos to “Billions.” Their 6th season is a winner. Corey Stoll is doing a great job as Mike Prince. Paul Giamatti is a gift, and he deserves an Emmy Award. The whole cast is sterling and the writing is impeccable. All the incredible hard work of Brian Koppleman and David Levien is paying off.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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