Ratings Showdown: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Nears 13 Million Per Episode as The Pitt Tops 12 Million

HBO is having a week. Two flagships are surging at the same time: the Game of Thrones offshoot A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and the hospital thriller The Pitt. Big audiences, bigger momentum.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is cooking

With five of the six episodes out, HBO says the series is averaging just under 13 million U.S. viewers per episode. That pace puts the show on track to become the third biggest series launch in HBO Max history. Episode 5, titled 'In the Name of the Mother,' grabbed 9.2 million U.S. viewers across platforms in its first three days, and the three-day numbers have climbed week over week for every chapter so far—aside from Episode 4, which bowed on Super Bowl Sunday. Funny timing, but the show has clearly shrugged it off. The season finale lands February 22.

The Pitt keeps rising

Season 2 of The Pitt is averaging around 12 million viewers per episode in the U.S., which is a 50% jump over its first season. It is also ticking up week to week—rare air for a returning drama.

• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: nearly 13M U.S. viewers per episode on average; Episode 5 hit 9.2M in three days; finale on Feb 22; pacing as HBO Max's No. 3 debut ever
• The Pitt Season 2: ~12M U.S. viewers per episode; up 50% from Season 1; steady week-to-week growth

Quick refresher: what this Thrones prequel actually covers

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms adapts The Hedge Knight and drops us about 90 years before Game of Thrones, when Targaryens still sit the Iron Throne and people still remember what dragons looked like in the sky. The story tracks Dunk, a former squire who steps into a fallen knight's armor and name to become Ser Duncan the Tall, with a sharp, mysterious kid named Egg tagging along as his squire. Their path runs through a traveling puppeteer named Tanselle, and yes, the Targaryens get on their tail. The vibe is lighter than the main Thrones saga, but it keeps that Westerosi snap.

So how is The Pitt actually playing?

It is a hard-charging ER drama that values urgency over melodrama. One critic praised its pace and focus, calling it a 'no-nonsense approach' that captures the intensity of an emergency shift while staying closer to real-world stakes than most network hospital soaps. He had only minor nitpicks and singled out the ensemble and the show's knack for tackling current issues without losing entertainment value. His bottom line: it is 'one of the best shows of the year'—and he said that in early January.