‘Dear Mama’ Becomes FX’s Most Watched Unscripted Premiere Episode Ever – Variety

FX’s latest docuseries opened on a high note, the network reveals. According to multi-platform ratings, the “Dear Mama” debut scored FX’s most watched premiere for an unscripted series ever. The show opened on FX on April 21 and became available to stream the following day on Hulu, which combined for the record setting performance.

From director Allen Hughes, the five-part docuseries explores the lives and legacies of mother and son, Afeni and Tupac Shakur. A renowned revolutionary, Afeni became a feminist figure of the ’70s, a female leader in the movement amidst the macho milieu of the Black Panther Party. Tupac, a rapper and poet, also became a political visionary, philosopher and one of the greatest rap artists of all time. “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,” reads the official description.

“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. “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 series returns on Friday night with episode 3, titled “So Many Tears.” As Tupac’s legal troubles escalate, with multiple different arrests in different states, his struggles ultimately land him with a sexual assault charge in New York. With Afeni as the voice of the New York Panther 21, she defends herself at trial and shocks the world when the verdict comes down. Tupac’s criminal trial comes to a different end.

Episode 4 “Ambitionz Az A Ridah” will premiere Friday, May 5 on FX, followed by the final episode “Until the End of Time” on May 12. “Dear Mama” will be available on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ under the Star banner in all other territories internationally.

Allen Hughes serves as executive producer, writer and director along with executive producer and writer Lasse Järvi and executive producers Quincy Delight Jones III (QD3), Staci Robinson, Nelson George, Charles King, Peter Nelson, Adel “Future” Nur, Jamal Joseph and Ted Skillman. The documentary is produced by A Defiant Ones Media Group Production and An Amaru Entertainment Production in association with MACRO and DreamCrew Entertainment.