“Tell Me Lies” went out with a ratings bang as it aired its Season 3 finale, which also marks the Hulu drama show’s series finale.
The finale, which dropped at 9 p.m. ET on Monday/12 a.m. ET on Tuesday, garnered 3.5 million views in its first day on Hulu and Disney+, per figures from Nielsen and Disney, rising nearly 70% from its Season 3 premiere.
The series closer caps off a season of growth for “Tell Me Lies,” which has seen both season-over-season and week-over-week ratings rises, with viewership for Season 3 premiere up 150% from Season 1. Additionally, Season 3 has driven a lift of 50 million hours over the first two seasons, marking a bigger viewership than the two installments generated during their original runs.
Hulu has also seen impressive viewership for its “Tell Me Lies” companion podcast, with the Stassi Schroeder-hosted podcast ranking as Disney’s most viewed companion podcast. The podcast has seen growth every week since it launch, with clips garnering over 50 million views on social media.
The steam gained by “Tell Me Lies” this season came as showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer was preparing to wind down the series with the Season 3 finale, which caps off both timelines with limited space to move forward following Lucy’s expulsion from Baird (and the impending graduation of the seniors) as well as the conclusion of Bree and Evan’s wedding weekend.
While the renewed popularity and ratings success did initially prompt Oppenheimer to think about different ways the show could keep going, she and the writers ultimately came back to their initial thought to end the show there.
“For me, the worst-case scenario would be to give a fourth season that didn’t feel as good or didn’t feel like the same show, and just because of where we leave the finale, I couldn’t see any organic ways to continue it that felt as exciting to me, but, of course, there were a lot of conversations,” Oppenheimer told TheWrap. “It’s very bittersweet because I love making the show, but I do feel like it’s better to quit while you’re ahead … We’ve all seen those shows that outstay their welcome and I didn’t want that for us.”
Oppenheimer also confirmed there is “definitely a possibility of spinoffs in this world,” saying “the theme of obsessive, toxic, or just generally unhealthy romance and friendships at this stage in life is a very timeless, universal theme, so there are a lot of ways to continue exploring that.”
