Tupac Docuseries ‘Dear Mama’ is FX’s Most-Watched Debut for an Unscripted Series
Two weeks ago, FX Networks debuted the Tupac documentary, “Dear Mama” and according to the numbers, it was the most-watched premiere ever for an unscripted show on the network.
According to Variety, the docuseries, which premiered on April 21 was FX’s most watched premiere for an unscripted series ever after it also became available to stream on Hulu the following day.
The exact numbers were not disclosed.
“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 Nick Grad, President, FX Entertainment in a written statement. “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.”
“Dear Mama” is directed by Allen Hughes, who, in the past got into a fight with the embattled slain rapper while in the midst of filming “Menace II Society.” Tupac was supposed to play the role of Sharif in the classic movie. He was fired from the movie after both sides disagreed with how Shariff should be played.
The docuseries, which will air in five parts, dwells into the lives and legacies of Tupac Shakir and his mother, Afeni. The story is told through the eyes of Afeni. In the initial description of the docuseries it stated that, “Their story chronicles the possibilities and contradictions of the United States from a time of revolutionary fervor to Hip Hop culture’s most ostentatious decade.”
There are unseen and unheard of audio clips and video footage of the rapper and actor who was born in Harlem, NY on June 16, 1971 and was shot dead in Las Vegas after a Mike Tyson boxing match on Sept. 13, 1996.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two-episode premiere of “Dear Mama” averaged about 185,000 viewers. Although that doesn’t match or surpass the show, “Welcome to Wrexham” when it debuted on August 2022 (the show averaged 271,000 viewers for its first two episodes), it had better numbers due to streaming.
