‘And Just Like That’ & ‘Sex Lives of College Girls’ Bring Big Numbers for HBO Max

Paige Strout January 4, 2022, 6:18 pm

With the holidays and the pandemic keeping people inside this season, many turned to streaming to get their entertainment fix, specifically HBO Max, as December marked the streamer’s most-viewed month since its launch in May 2020.

HBO Max’s successful Sex and the City revival And Just Like That… drew in a wide audience, ranking as the #1 series in the US, EU, and Latin America upon release, breaking the record for the more successful HBO Max series launch to date. The show’s release also increased viewership for the original series, with fans catching up on the fashionable friend group’s previous adventures.

HBO Max

Close behind was Mindy Kaling’s The Sex Lives of College Girls, whose final episodes aired on December 9. The show’s ever-growing viewership increased 76% since its premiere. Another finale premiere, the Succession Season 3 finale marked an all-time viewership high for the series across all HBO platforms, increasing 47% since the end of Season 2. Series finales for favorites such as Curb Your Enthusiasm and Insecure also aired last month.

HBO Max

The streamer’s end-of-year success is also attributed in part to brand-new, same-day movie releases, including King Richard and The Matrix Resurrections. The latter ranked fourth among Warner’s Bros. day-and-date titles, in addition to becoming the service’s most-watched film of the month. Similar to Sex and the City, the new chapter also increased viewership for the entire Matrix film series.

'This Is Us,' 'The Amazing Race' & More That Top Our Ranking

Ringing in the new year was the highly anticipated Harry Potter 20th Anniversary special, Return to Hogwarts, which debuted as the platform’s top title of the week across the US, EU, and Latin America. While the streamer’s other Harry Potter titles found increased viewership, including all eight films and the competition series Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses, the special ranks second Friends: The Reunion for the platform’s most successful special debut.

Check out what’s coming and going from HBO Max this month here.