‘Mare of Easttown’ Finale Sets Impressive Record

The season finale of HBO’s latest hit, Mare of Easttown, was a big hit for the network, becoming the most-watched episode ever on HBO Max. Deadline reports that the episode drew four million viewers over the holiday weekend across HBO and HBO Max and nearly three million viewers on all platforms on Sunday night.

The numbers were a series high for both linear and digital, and the finale also set the record as the most-watched episode of an Original Series on HBO Max during its first 24 hours of availability. With its finale, Mare of Easttown bested recent HBO hits The Undoing and The Flight Attendant, though it did join The Undoing as the only series in HBO’s history to see consecutive growth week-to-week. Mare of Easttown starred Kate Winslet as Mare Sheehan, a detective in small-town Pennsylvania investigating a local murder. The show quickly became a success, and show creator Brad Ingelsby recently weighed in on a possible Season 2 during an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

“I had planned it as one [season]. I don’t know if I was able to crack a version that I could make great,” he said. “I would only want to go back to Mare of Easttown if I had a story I felt would be great and that we could give audiences what they want. So, I don’t have anything. Now, if I did get struck by lightning or something and I get this great idea, then I would definitely give it a shot. Because listen, I love Mare. I love her, and I love the people in this town so much that if I felt I could give them a great season or a great second story, then I would absolutely go for it. Who knows if that will happen though.”

Winslet told TV Line that she would be happy to return to Easttown. “I would absolutely love to play Mare again,” she said. “I miss her. I really do. It’s the strangest thing. I feel like I’m in mourning. It was an absolutely wonderful role… There’s something very addictive about Mare, because she’s so outrageous and lovable and brilliant and real, you know? I loved playing her.” Series director/EP Craig Zobel said that Mare Sheehan “is an amazing character, so I would be excited to see” a second season, but “I also like it as a miniseries.”