The premiere took in fewer than a million live viewers, compared to 2.9 million for the same time slot in the previous week (the series finale of Succession).

Neither of those numbers is impressive in context. The final of Game of Thrones drew nearly 20 million live viewers, and the Sopranos finale drew about 12 million.

(In contrast, the champions of broadcast TV had far more viewers. Seinfeld’s finale drew 76 million live viewers and MASH topped 100 million.)

The article notes that viewership for The Idol’s premiere was comparable to that of The White Lotus, which became a minor hit, but that’s not necessarily a recommendation. White Lotus was initially a disappointment, but was eventually rescued by positive word-of-mouth, which The Idol can’t count on. A lack of enthusiasm from viewers and critics has led industry insiders to expect The Idol to fall off in succeeding weeks.

Like many viewers, I hated the first episode, but I’ll keep a close eye on it whether it soars or sucks, simply because the nudity in forthcoming episodes is said to be copious.