George & Tammy surprisingly catches on with mass audiences, becoming the most-watched premiere in Showtime's nearly 50-year history. The network, which launched in May 1976, has been the subject of some uncertainty. As speculation has cropped up about its future, and whether it might more fully merge with the Paramont+ streaming service, there have been a few hints about what the landscape of the channel might look like. Bob Bakish, the CEO of Paramount Global, which owns Showtime, recently revealed plans to lean more fully into franchises and said that these plans will begin to unveil themselves in the coming year. For audiences, that could mean more stories set in the Dexter universe.
As reported by Deadline, the new George & Tammy limited series has broken an impressive record. The true story, which stars Jessica Chastain as Tammy Wynette and Michael Shannon as George Jones, debuted on December 4 with 3.3 million viewers in the Live + Same Day viewership metric. MTV Entertainment Studios, which produces the series, calls this the most-watched premiere of Showtime's 46-year history. It's worth noting that this takes combined viewership on three different channels — Showtime, Paramount Network, and CMT — as opposed to just Showtime only.
How George & Tammy Broke A Showtime Record Explained
The record that George & Tammy broke was helped by the fact that it was broadcast on three networks, including CMT, which is a clever use of the country music tie-in. Some of the interest connects to the premise itself. The series is based on the book The Three of Us: Growing Up with Tammy and George which was written by George and Tammy's daughter, Georgette Jones. Continuing in that vein, George & Tammy examines the struggles and challenges of the titular couple. They'd both been divorced before they met, and their union took their career to new heights. However, their union wasn't perfect, as George's alcohol addiction led to problems for the pairing and eventual divorce.
As the output of television and podcasting proves, there is currently an appetite for anything that hues to the direction of true crime. This is strengthened by the presence of Chastain and Shannon, both of whom are familiar to audiences. In fact, behind the scenes, George & Tammy builds on Chastain's Oscar-winning success with The Eyes of Tammy Faye. The show was created by Abe Sylvia, who wrote The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
It remains to be seen whether the viewership for George & Tammy holds throughout its six episodes. But from its launch, and well over 5 million viewers for its trailer on YouTube, it's clear to see that this country music saga has the foundation for a substantial audience. The success of the series shows that Showtime's overall future doesn't need to just be dependent solely on franchises.
Source: Deadline