"Lockdown" received 2.0 in Nielsen household rating and 1.7 in syndication ratings becoming the only episode in season eight to receive a syndication rating. The episode debuted on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States on July 23, 2004, with Stargate Atlantis episode "Hide and Seek". It was the top-rated show on the Sci Fi Channel that week. "Lockdown" drew close to 2.7 million viewers in the United States, this was down four-tenths from the previous episode "New Order". While the viewership was higher than the previous season which averaged a 1.8 in Nielsen household ratings, "Lockdown"
