Yellowstone 1883 scores the best debut for an original series on Paramount+

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe is proving to be a force to be reckoned with in the world of television. Yellowstone is already a huge hit on the Paramount Network and now the prequel series, 1883, has scored the best debut for an original series on the Paramount+ streaming service.

According to ViacomCBS, the Sunday premiere for 1883 broke a new record for the platform as its most-watched original series ever. Per the company, the series was up more than double over the previous record with additional third-party reporting still to come. Like all of the streaming services, ViacomCBS didn’t provide hard numbers for its streaming performance but there are other signs to indicate that the debut was pretty huge.

1883 also premiered as a sampling event on the Paramount Network following Yellowstone and that special showing pulled in 4.9 million total viewers and that makes it the biggest new series premiere on cable since 2015. Tanya Giles, Chief Programming Officer, ViacomCBS Streaming, had this to say about the debut:

“The results of 1883’s debut are truly phenomenal. The day 1 streaming numbers coupled with the results of the linear sampling effort, and social response from our audience show the tremendous promise for this series. We look forward to continuing this epic journey with our subscribers.

1883 was also strong on social media and it marked the most social drama series Sunday night crossing streaming, according to data from Talkwalker Social Content Ratings. 1883 is also showing signs that it’s headed to be just as strong as its parent series. The premiere is tracking ahead of the season debut of Yellowstone in key demos like the 18-49 (+125%, 1.49 vs. 0.66) and 25-54 (+135%, 2.39 vs. 1.02). With premieres, simulcasts, and encores across the night, 1883 was watched by 6.4 million viewers while the season one premiere for Yellowstone was watched by 5.5 million viewers. Chris McCarthy, President and CEO ViacomCBS Media Networks, also commented on the success of the series out of the gate:

“The success of Taylor Sheridan’s 1883 is another proof point of our unique model to leverage our linear platforms and franchise our biggest hits to supercharge Paramount+. We went big with 1883 – the Yellowstone prequel – and it delivered big and shattered all records – as both the #1 most-watched original series premiere ever on Paramount+ and the biggest new cable premiere since 2015, with nearly five million viewers tuning in to Paramount Network Sunday’s airing. Given the tremendous viewership on Paramount Network, I’m confident our strategy of sampling on the Paramount Network will drive awareness and viewers to Paramount+.”

Reviews for 1883 have been strong with the show scoring an 85% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 88% audience score so far. Created by Academy Award nominee Taylor Sheridan, 1883 follows the Dutton family as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America. It is a stark retelling of Western expansion, and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land – Montana. The series stars Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Billy Bob Thornton, Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett, Audie Rick, Marc Rissmann, Eric Nelsen, and James Landry Hebert.

Did YOU watch 1883 on Sunday?