Showtime’s new drama “Penny Dreadful” premiered on Sunday, outdrawing the series premieres of the network’s previously launched dramas “Masters of Sex” and “Homeland.”
Over multiple airings, the premiere of “Penny Dreadful” — which stars Eva Green, Josh Hartnett and Timothy Dalton — drew 1.443 million total viewers, beating out the “Masters of Sex” and “Homeland” premieres, which both drew 1.38 million total viewers.
See video: ‘Penny Dreadful’ Preview: A Divine Gift, and a Dreadful Curse
The initial airing of “Penny Dreadful” at 10 p.m. drew 872,000.
While the “Penny Dreadful” premiere occurred during Showtime’s free preview weekend, the non-subscribers who tuned in were not counted among the viewership numbers.
Also read: ‘Penny Dreadful’ Review: A Lovely, Lurid Study of Life and Death
With sampling on platforms such as Showtime on Demand and Showtime Anytime taken into account, 900,000 subscribers sampled the premiere in the two weeks leading up to its airing, bringing the series premiere total to 2.3 million total viewers.
In the 18-49 demographic most important to advertisers, 62 percent of the “Penny Dreadful” premiere audience fell into the demo, making it the youngest-skewing drama audience for Showtime since the 2006 series premiere of “Dexter.”
The series, which was created, written and executive produced by John Logan (“The Last Samurai”), explores what happens when literature’s most famous characters, such as Dr. Frankenstein and Dorian Gray, become embroiiled in Victorian London.