As the universe of Taylor Sheridan shows continues to expand, so too does its audience.
According to Paramount, the Sunday night premiere of “Yellowstone” prequel series “1923” brought in 7.4 million viewers across linear telecasts and streaming, marking Paramount+’s biggest debut ever. That number comes from a combination of Nielsen data and Paramount’s own streaming data.
For comparison, the Season 1 premiere of “Yellowstone” in 2018 was viewed by 2.8 million people on the Paramount Network. The series has grown considerably since then, with the Season 5 premiere bringing in 10.3 million viewers.
Starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, “1923” introduces a new generation of the Dutton family and explores the early twentieth century when pandemics, historic drought, the end of Prohibition and the Great Depression all plague the mountain west and the Duttons who call it home. The series is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, 101 Studios and Bosque Ranch Productions. Executive producers include Taylor Sheridan, John Linson, Art Linson, David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin, Bob Yari and Ben Richardson.
“Anchored by Taylor Sheridan’s incredible vision and the performances of legends Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford, we felt confident this next chapter of the Dutton family origin story would resonate with audiences,” said Tanya Giles, chief programming officer of Paramount Streaming. “We are thrilled with the record-breaking early response to the first episode and can’t wait to introduce more audiences to this incredible journey of perseverance, heartbreak and adventure set amongst the backdrop of the Mountain West.”
“The ‘Yellowstone universe’ continues to break records, with our latest chapter, ‘1923’ scoring as the most watched premiere ever on Paramount+ and debuting as the #1 new cable premiere of the year on linear,” said Chris McCarthy, President/CEO Paramount Media Networks & MTV Entertainment Studios. “Taylor Sheridan continues to tap a cultural nerve that has proven irresistible to viewers from across the country and around the world, with this newest installment showing no signs of slowing down – proving yet again the power of our franchise strategy to fuel the future of Paramount+.”
“Taylor continues to write the most epic stories shot with cinematic beauty,” said David C. Glasser, CEO of 101 Studios. “His scripts attract not only the best actors working today but the best crew around and we are so fortunate these huge audiences tune in to be a part of his universe every week. We can’t thank MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount+ enough for their continued support on this incredible journey.”
