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HBO has given a pretty quick pickup to “Westworld”



The cable channel announced Tuesday it’s renewing the series for a third season.

The pickup comes two episodes into “Westworld’s” second season, which have drawn audiences comparable to Season 1 in fall 2016. There’s no word yet on when the third season might land on HBO.

“It’s been an extraordinary pleasure to work with the exceptionally talented [showrunners] Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, as well as their gifted cast and crew,” HBO Programming head Casey Bloys says in a statement. “From the inspired storytelling to the incredible visuals, we are so excited to see where the next chapter will take us.”

Through the first two episodes of Season 2, “Westworld” is averaging a little under 2 million viewers and a 0.8 rating among adults 18-49, numbers on par with the show’s first-season average.

Same-day ratings represent just a fraction of the total audience for shows on premium cable; HBO says Season 1 of “Westworld” amassed about 12 million viewers per episode across platforms. The earliest returns for the show’s April 22 premiere had its night-of audience at 3 million, a little bit behind the series debut.