The Game of Thrones Season 4 premiere has set a new record. The HBO epic drama's first episode for its fourth season drew in 6.6 million viewers during its 9 p.m. broadcast, making it the channel's most-watched show since The Sopranos finale in 2007. Around 1.6 million viewers also tuned in for the show's 11 p.m. replay, capping the record-setting premiere's numbers at 8.2 million.

Viewership has definitely gone up this year, as the record is 2.2 million more than the show's 4.4 million premiere viewers last year. The audience actually grew in numbers over the course of the third season and reached up to 5.5 million viewers by the sixth week of Season Three.

HBO Go, the TV channel's online destination, also crashed during the Season Four premiere. The demand was that great that the service was overwhelmed. HBO most likely wasn't able to anticipate the weight of that many people tuning in to the much anticipated first episode.

Viewership is most likely set to increase even more as this season progresses. Fans of the show have much to look forward to this season, as Game of Thrones' season preview, called Ice and Fire: A Foreshadowing, gave an in-depth look at what is going to happen to the ever changing plotlines.

Revenge seems to be one of the main themes for the upcoming season, especially after last season's shocking Red Wedding. Executive producer, writer, and director David Benioff said, "There is tremendous clamor for revenge, especially in the wake of the Red Wedding. Some of the most shocking and mindblowing scenes of the entire series come at the end of this coming season - some very bloody confrontations."

Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark, also gave a hint of comeuppance during the preview. "The good guys are coming back this year, and um, that's nice to see. Yeah, we're making a stand," she said.