Epic New Action Series Becomes AMC's Biggest TV Premiere Since The Walking Dead's Greatest Spinoff In 15 Years

AMC's Nautilus had the network's most-watched premiere since the best spinoff of The Walking Dead premiered over a year ago. Shazad Latif leads the cast of Nautillus as Captain Nemo, the iconic character from Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Nautilus easily draws comparisons to Pirates of the Caribbean, and it may be just as much of a hit.

Now, Deadline reports that the premiere of Nautilus drew in 2.6 million viewers, the most of any AMC show's premiere since The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live premiered in February 2024. The Ones Who Live, in turn, had 3 million viewers, making it the network's biggest premiere of a new original series since 2018's The Terror, which gathered 4.1 million viewers.

Though relatively new, The Ones Who Live is widely considered one of the best Walking Dead spinoffs. The Walking Dead in general is also considered AMC's flagship franchise, and has a baked-in audience from the wildly popular original series. Nautilus, however, had no such advantages leading to its high viewership. In fact, it was actually relatively unsuccessful in its European release by Prime Video.

What Nautilus' High Viewership Means For The Show & AMC

After A Rocky Start, Nautilus May Have Found An Enduring Home At AMC

Nautilus had a truly rocky development. Originally produced for Disney+, the show was then acquired by Prime Video and distributed in England and Ireland to mixed reviews. This news, however, indicates that Nautilus may have found the perfect network and audience to really thrive. AMC's American viewers clearly had an interest in Nautilus, and the show may simply be better suited to its viewers' senses of humor and adventure.

If Nautilus can continue to draw in audiences for AMC, its future seems incredibly bright. Though it is a high-concept science fiction series that carries an inherently high budget, the series also has an evergreen premise. It's easy to imagine Nemo and his crew getting into mischief and adventures across the seven seas for multiple seasons, as long as Nautilus can continue to justify its price tag.

AMC may also be looking for a new franchise to hang its hat on to replace The Walking Dead. The Walking Dead's spinoffs haven't been able to fully recapture the original's magic. Dead City's premiere, for example, drew in just 1.12 million viewers. It's no original Walking Dead, but Nautilus' impressive viewership may be exactly what AMC is looking for: another popular show to supplement other programming.

Our Take On Nautilus' Record-Breaking Premiere

I Hope Nautilus' Strong Start With AMC Lets The Show Continue & Find Its Footing

As previously mentioned, Nautilus had a very uncertain beginning. Reviews for Nautilus, for example, have noted that the show doesn't really know where it stands yet. I hope this news of Nautilus being a sleeper hit for AMC means that the show will be renewed. I just know that with a few more seasons, Nautilus can find its footing and blossom into a really great sci-fi series.

I also hope that Nautilus' success can help bring AMC back to its golden age. While all great, many of AMC's original shows in recent years have been dark, broody series like The Ones Who Live or Dark Winds. Nautilus is the kind of outrageous, adventurous, and fun show that AMC hasn't had since shows like Preacher, and I hope it can bring that era of AMC back.