1923 season 2 premiere sees viewership up 146% compared to season 1. The episode titled “The Killing Season” marked the Yellowstone prequel’s return on Sunday, February 23, kicking off the new season with a letter from Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren) to her nephew, Spencer (Brandon Sklenar), while she awaits his return with her husband, Jacob (Harrison Ford), in their snow-blanketed ranch. After the premiere, a new episode will arrive every Sunday exclusively on Paramount+.
Per Deadline‘s report, the streamer shared that the season 2 premiere averaged 5.4 million global viewers and outperformed season 1’s 2.2 million viewership in 2023. Based on international data, the series also broke the streamer’s record as the biggest original premiere in history. The 1923 season 2 premiere also trumped Landman‘s success, which drew 5.2 million viewers during its debut and was Paramount+’s biggest original premiere in two years.
What This Means For 1923
An Increasing Interest in Yellowstone And Beyond
While 1923 season 2 premiere saw a huge increase in viewership, it’s still nowhere near the flagship’s success. In 2024, Yellowstone 5B’s return garnered 16.4 million viewers on its first night alone, marking the biggest return in the show’s history, while the series finale is the show’s most-watched episode. On the other hand, the original spinoff shows have proven to be record-shattering for Paramount+. The first prequel,1883, opened just under 5 million viewers, setting a premiere record for the channel in 2021.
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1923 Sets Up The Next Yellowstone Spinoff That Fans Have Been Waiting 4 Years For
1923 season 2 is already establishing ties to other Taylor Sheridan Yellowstone projects, including one that was confirmed to be in development.
1923 season 2’s grand opening sees an increasing interest in the expanding Yellowstone universe. At the same time, with Landman, Taylor Sheridan’s most recent show, becoming Paramount+’s most-watched original series, this also means that the audience’s interest has extended beyond the Yellowstone universe to Sheridan-created shows in general.
Our Take On 1923’s Debut Success
It’s Good News
There’s no doubt that 1923‘s debut success serves to pave the way for other Yellowstone-related projects to come. The next to arrive is The Madison which takes place in the present timeline. While the project’s filming has wrapped, there’s still uncertainty for the highly anticipated Beth & Ripp spinoff, but the streaming success of 1923 is certainly good news for the streamers and Yellowstone fans. On the other hand, the Harrison Ford-headlined series won’t be renewed, since it’s a two-season show, which means that most characters’ arcs and storylines will be wrapped by the end of the eighth episode.
In addition to a surge in viewership, critical reviews for 1923 season 2 resulted in a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, but the audience is less satisfied with the premiere. Only 49% of viewers left a positive review for the season 2 opening. There’s a chance that 1923 viewership might drop on Sunday, but the signs are pointing toward a lot more in store in the later episodes.
A new episode of 1923 will arrive every Sunday on Paramount+.
Source: Deadline
1923
9/10
- Release Date
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2022 – 2024
- Network
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Paramount+
- Showrunner
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Taylor Sheridan
- Directors
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Guy Ferland
- Writers
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Taylor Sheridan