Homeland Delivers Most-Watched Episode

Showtime’s Emmy-winning drama Homeland continues to build, notching its highest-rated episode and night ever on Sunday.

The terrorist thriller garnered 2.2 million during its 10 p.m. premiere on Dec. 2 and 2.5 million for the night, according to Nielsen data.

Moreover, the series, starring Emmy winners Claire Danes and Damian Lewis and renewed for a third campaign, for the first time outpaced a new episode of Dexter, Showtime’s top-rated series.

For its part, Dexter delivered 2.1 million viewers at 9 p.m. and 2.63 million viewers for the night on Dec. 2, Season-to-date, the seventh season of the serial killer show has averaged 6.02 million total weekly viewers across platforms, its highest rated season ever, and 12% above its prior season through the same time frame.

The second season of Homeland has averaged 5.7 million total weekly viewers across platforms to-date, 34% above its freshman season through the same time frame.

Both Dexter and Homeland conclude their seasons on Dec. 16.