1923 Breaks Paramount+ Record for Most-Watched Premiere Ever

Published: March 20, 2025

1923 Breaks Paramount+ Record for Most-Watched Premiere Ever

By Movieguide® Contributor

1923 Season 2’s premiere just broke a record for being Paramount+’s most-watched premiere in the platform’s history.

The season stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. The YELLOWSTONE prequel attracted 5.4 million viewers for the launch of its first episode, per The Mirror.

The numbers represent a 146% increase in viewers compared to the launch of its first season. Season 1 must’ve had a very impressive cliffhanger.

Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a faultless 100% score, which makes it even more successful than its predecessor, YELLOWSTONE.

In Season 2, the Dutton family fights to save their ranch amid harsh weather. Spencer Dutton has a distressing journey to Montana, and his pregnant wife, Alex, has difficulties as she tries to reunite with him.

Movieguide®’s review of Season 1 episodes 2 and 3 reads:

Episodes 2 and 3 of 1923 on Paramount Plus tell two intense survival stories. In the first, the Dutton family, led by Jacob and Cara, and their cowboys face off against Scottish sheepherders trespassing on their land. In their first encounter with the sheepherders, Jacob makes a decision that will have deadly consequences for the family. In the second story, Jacob’s adopted nephew, Spencer, overcomes two man-eating leopards in Africa. Then, while recovering from his wounds in Nairobi, he falls for a pretty Englishwoman and takes her with him on a dangerous job to stop a hyena attacking railway workers.

Episodes 2 and 3 of 1923 match the premiere episode for grand excitement and drama. They have superb performances, excellent writing, expanding character arcs, and breathtaking cinematography. However, their moral, pro-family elements, which include two positive references to God, are marred by some immoral behavior. This negative content includes strong foul language, a bedroom scene with brief explicit nudity, brief drunkenness, intense violence, and a brief depiction of a Catholic nun’s perverse behavior. MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution for these two 1923 episodes.

Episode 2 of Season 2 captured some gory events. After an accident, ranch foreman Zane suffers from a buildup of blood in his head, requiring a gruesome and grisly operation.

“I had to cover my eyes a few times on this one,” one viewer commented.

Another person said, “Tonight’s episode of 1923 has me squeamish as h***!”’

Meanwhile, episode 4 has left fans anxious for Spencer and Alex to get back together.

“I thought this episode was brutal — not because it was bad, but man, three episodes in, and it feels like we haven’t moved an inch from last season,” wrote one commenter.

“So much filler and unnecessary scenes,” wrote another fan. “I just want Spencer and Alexandra to be back at the ranch already.”

With four episodes already out, episode 5 comes out on Paramount+ on Sunday. An episode will follow every week for the remainder of the season.