‘Dear Mama’ Docuseries Brings Record Viewers to FX

A screengrab from the trailer of Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni & Tupac Shakur (Credit: FX Networks)

FX’s latest unscripted series, Dear Mama, made history with its debut.

The docuseries, which explores the lives and legacies of Tupac Shakur and his mother Afeni Shakur, is now the most-watched unscripted series premiere in the network’s history.

The first episode of Dear Mama debuted on April 21, and was made available to stream on Hulu the next day. The combination of both platforms led to the record-breaking performance.

Related Story‘Dear Mama’ Trailer Looks Back on Lessons Afeni Shakur Taught Tupac About Life (Video)

The five-part series comes from Emmy-nominated filmmaker Allen Hughes (Menace II Society, The Book of Eli) and FX Originals.

“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,” Nick Grad, president of FX Entertainment, said in a press release.

The two-episode premiere averaged 185,000 viewers, with the first episode drawing 196,000 viewers, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Told through the eyes of those who knew them best, Dear Mama offers an intimate portrait of the mother-son duo, Afeni Shakur as a Black Panther activist and revolutionary who fought tirelessly for social justice and equality, and Tupac Shakur as a rapper and actor whose music and poetry spoke to the struggles of Black Americans.

The series is executive produced, written, and directed by Allen Hughes, 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.

Dear Mama returns on Sunday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX, with the final episode airing on May 12.


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About Maria Leal

Maria Leal is a bilingual, multi-media journalist based in Los Angeles. She can be reached on Twitter @MariaLealNews.