TheWrap.com reports HBO’s new drama “Looking” had a "limp debut," with “not many people ‘looking’ at it on their TV screen. The new HBO comedy-drama had a paltry 338,000 viewers at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday.”
Meanwhile, the Matthew McConnaughey-Woody Harrelson drama “True Detective” (Sundays at 9 pm) averaged 1.7 million viewers in its second week.
Even Lena Dunham’s dreary “Girls” at 10 delivered 799,000 viewers, totaling 1.2 million viewers throughout the night. (“Looking” increased its count to 606,000 when you add repeat showings.)
A positive review by Time’s James Poniewozik suggested why "Looking" might not have broad appeal, a general sleaziness:
So we first meet Patrick fumbling through an awkward hookup with a stranger in the park, but rather than being played for scandalousness or poignance, it becomes a funny introduction to a guy who’s trying to work out who he is. Is he the kind of guy who cruises in the park? Does he want long-term love? [Actor Jonathan] Groff plays his journey of self-discovery with disarming, clumsy sweetness, as when he tells his friends he might be looking for a “fuck buddy” but half-swallows the words in embarrassment.
