via EW: Dexter is continuing its ratings winning steak right to the end. For the eighth season in a row, Showtime’s serial killer thriller broke viewership records for its season premiere and that’s despite airing in the summer for the first time. Dexter‘s final season debuted to 2.5 million viewers, edging out last year’s premiere by 4 percent. Including its repeat, Dexter had 3.2 million for the night.
Aided by this big lead in, new drama Ray Donovan had Showtime’s most-watched original series premiere ever with 1.4 million viewers at 10 p.m. and 2.2 million for the night. Total sampling on Donovan, including On Demand, brings its overall pilot viewing tally to 3 million viewers.
Photo credit: Showtime