Taylor Sheridan seems entirely incapable of losing. At least based on the latest premiere record broken by Yellowstone 1923, as well as the monstrous viewership numbers the rest of the franchise and associated properties have been racking up (more on this later).
The prequel series, led by heavyweight talents Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, set a new benchmark by becoming Paramount+’s most watched premiere since launching almost two years ago.
Drawing over 7.4 million eyeballs from across the streaming platform itself as well as linear telecasts, 1923 effectively eclipsed the debuts of previous Paramount+ breakouts such as the Halo adaptation and Sheridan’s other incredibly bingable creations – Yellowstone 1883, Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King – by almost 80%.
RELATED: ‘Yellowstone’ Creator Taylor Sheridan’s Greatest Masterpiece Is Getting A Sequel
“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 at 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.”
Chris McCarthy, President & CEO of Paramount Media Networks and MTV Entertainment Studios, added: “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.”
RELATED: ‘Yellowstone’ Creator Taylor Sheridan Already Knows How The Series Will End
“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 instalment showing no signs of slowing down — proving yet again the power of our franchise strategy to fuel the future of Paramount+.”
Additionally, just last month, the premiere of the main Yellowstone series’ highly-anticipated fifth season shattered another record by delivering a cumulative viewership of 12.1 million live-plus-same day viewers in the US alone – the biggest overnight launch yet for the Paramount Network’s Kevin Costner-led neo-western drama.
According to Samba TV, Yellowstone topped every scripted series premiere of 2022, increasing eyeballs by double digits in very single demographic with an impressive 52% among adults 18-34 and a cumulative 5.6 rating among adults 18-49.
RELATED: ‘Yellowstone’ Spin-Off With Matthew McConaughey In Talks, Kevin Costner May Exit
“The breakdown goes like this: Yellowstone wrestled up 8.8 million viewers in its first airing on the Paramount Network (up 10% from season 4 [read our article on it here]),” explained James Hibberd of The Hollywood Reporter.
“That number grew to 10.3 million viewers when adding in simulcast airings on CMT, TV Land, and Pop. Then the figure climbed to 12.1 million when adding in encore telecasts.”
“The premiere was coupled with the launch of another Taylor Sheridan series, Tulsa King, starring Sylvester Stallone, which got underway on the Paramount+ streaming network.”
Back in March, Yellowstone was named the most successful television franchise of 2021 across physical and digital transactional media; generating over $100 million in sales thanks to the highest volume of first-week Blu-ray purchases since the final instalment of HBO’s Game of Thrones.
At the time of this writing, here’s everything airing/streaming and on the way from the Taylor Sheridan Cinematic Universe:
- Yellowstone (ongoing)
- The Last Cowboy (ongoing)
- The Mayor of Kingstown (ongoing – season 2 already confirmed)
- Yellowstone: 1883 (ongoing)
- Tulsa King (ongoing – season 2 already confirmed)
- Yellowstone: 6666 (reportedly on the way)
- Yellowstone: Bass Reeves (reportedly on the way)
- Land Man (reportedly on the way)
- Lioness (reportedly on the way)
