HBO’s “True Detective” opened Sunday night with a solid 2.3 million viewers, making it the premium cabler’s most-watched debut since “Boardwalk Empire” drew 4.8 million in 2010.

‘True Detective’ Cops HBO’s Largest Premiere Audience Since 2010 | Variety

Among the shows that “True Detective” outperformed in its premiere are dramas “Game of Thrones” (2.22 million) and “The Newsroom” (2.14 million) and comedies “Veep” (1.38 million) and “Girls” (870,000).  A replay a couple of hours later brought in another million viewers, according to Nielsen, bringing Sunday night’s tally for “True Detective” to 3.3 million.  “True Detective,” starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, tells the story of two Louisiana homicide detectives’ hunt for a serial killer. The first season of the anthology series consists of eight episodes.