After months of anticipation, HBO's sequel series to the landmark comic book story Watchmen premiered this past weekend, and the viewership totals have now been revealed.

1.5 million viewers across HBO and HBO Now tuned in to watch showrunner Damon Lindelof's vision of the postmodern comic book world, the best series premiere for HBO since 2016's Westworld. The viewership marked a 20% increase from the Succession season finale the previous week in the same time slot, but down from Westworld's 2.1 million audience for its Season 2 premiere last year.

RELATED: Watchmen: [SPOILER]'s Death Is Not Going to Be Reversed

Critical response to the series has been largely positive, with early professional reviews giving the series premiere a 93% positive rating on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.

Set decades after the original comic story by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Watchmen takes place in an alternate history, with police officers wearing masks to conceal their identities after they are targeted by a gang inspired by Rorschach. As tensions rise and abuses of power increase, a new generation of superheroes rises up.

RELATED: Watchmen: Why Does It Rain Squid On the HBO Series?

Developed by Damon Lindelof, HBO's Watchmen stars Jeremy Irons, Regina King, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Tom Mison, James Wolk, Adelaide Clemens, Andrew Howard, Frances Fisher, Jacob Ming-Trent, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing, Lily Rose Smith and Adelynn Spoon. The series airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

(via Variety)