FX’s docuseries Dear Mama set a new ratings high for an unscripted series debut on the Disney-owned outlet.
The chronicle of the lives of Tupac and Afeni Shakur, which premiered April 21, passed Welcome to Wrexham as FX’s most watched unscripted debut in cross-platform viewers. The full cross-platform figures aren’t being released, per FX policy, but the majority of Dear Mama’s audience likely streamed the show on Hulu.
The two-episode premiere of Dear Mama, directed by Allen Hughes, averaged about 185,000 viewers for its on-air debut (episode one drew 196,000). That trailed Welcome to Wrexham’s linear premiere in August 2022 (it averaged 271,000 viewers for its first two episodes), but Dear Mama made up the difference with streaming and other delayed viewing. Streaming often makes up the majority of viewing for series that originate on ad-supported and premium cable outlets.
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“It’s only fitting that Allen Hughes’ definitive piece on Tupac and Afeni Shakur delivered a record performance for us and it speaks to Tupac’s enduring legacy,” said FX Entertainment president Nick Grad. “Allen’s examination of Tupac viewed through the prism of his mother Afeni is a fascinating take that really gets beneath the education and experience that shaped his life and inspired him to become one of the greatest artists ever.”
The five-episode series is executive produced by Hughes, Lasse Järvi, Quincy Delight Jones III (QD3), Staci Robinson, Nelson George, Charles King, Peter Nelson, Adel “Future” Nur, Jamal Joseph and Ted Skillman.
