"Boardwalk Empire" premiered its third season Sunday night with a slight bump over its Season 2 opener, raking in 4.6 million total viewers throughout three airings.
HBO's historical gangster drama — which stars Steve Buscemi as shady Atlantic City politician Enoch "Nucky" Thompson — drew 4.5 million total viewers for its second-season launch.
Also read: "Boardwalk Empire" Season 3 Trailer: Nucky Thompson Goes Great Guns
Sunday night's episode drew 2.9 million viewers with its 9 p.m. airing — on par with last year — and picked up an additional 1.1 million viewers with its 10 p.m. airing. An 11 p.m. encore raked in an additional 624,000 viewers.
Though only marginally higher than last year's premiere, Sunday's "Boardwalk Empire" handily beat out its Season 2 finale, which drew 3.8 million total viewers — though that was only over two airings.