‘Yellowstone’ Prequel, ‘1883,’ Makes Biggest New Series Debut Since 2015

1883, the prequel to Taylor Sheridan‘s smash hit show Yellowstone, earned the biggest new series premiere on cable since 2015’s Fear the Walking Dead. Including encore viewings, 1883 brought in 6.4 million people, per Nielsen.

The show saw 4.9 million viewers on Paramount Network during air time, according to Variety. CMT, which simulcasted the show’s premiere, brought in an additional 609,000 viewers.

The western-themed show, which stars country music royalty Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, also became Paramount Plus’ most watched original series premiere after its debut on Sunday evening (Dec. 19).

1883 follows the Dutton family as they journey west to seek a better future in Montana. The show also stars Sam Elliott and Billy Bob Thornton, and features Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett, Audie Rick, Marc Rissmann, Eric Nielsen and James Landry Hébert.

The first two episodes of the prequel series will be broadcast on cable following Yellowstone on Sunday nights. All other episodes will be available to watch exclusively on Paramount Plus.

MusicRow recently caught up with Yellowstone‘s Music Supervisor, Andrea von Foerster, to discuss where she finds the soundtrack that makes up the hit series and how the show’s music has taken on a life of its own. To read the full conversation, click here.