HBO has renewed its polygamy drama “Big Love” for a second season, the network confirmed.

The March 12 debut of the Sunday night drama was seen by about 4.6 million viewers, losing 47 percent of its “Sopranos” lead-in. The second week dropped to 3.4 million, then buoyed back to hover around the 4 million mark in subsequent weeks. An HBO spokesperson said about 50 percent of the viewership from each “Big Love” episode is from post-premiere repeat airings.

Those are numbers are about on par with HBO’s other recent drama, “Deadwood,” whose first-season premiere airings were seen by an average of 4.5 million viewers and whose second season averaged about 3 million viewers.

The drama has been the target of an e-mail campaign in recent weeks by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who object to the show’s depiction of a polygamous Utah family.