Tupac Docuseries ‘Dear Mama’ Becomes FX’s Biggest Unscripted Premiere Ever

On April 21, FX Networks debuted the Tupac documentary, Dear Mama. Although the exact numbers have not been disclosed, according to Variety, it was the most-watched premiere ever for an unscripted show on the network after it became available to stream on Hulu the following day.

“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,” said Nick Grad, president of FX Entertainment, in a written statement. “Allen’s examination of Tupac viewed through the prism of his mother Afeni is a fascinating take that really gets beneath the education and experience that shaped his life and inspired him to become one of the greatest artists ever.”

Dear Mama is directed by Hughes, who, in the past, had a physical altercation with the embattled slain rapper while filming Menace II Society. Tupac was supposed to play the role of Sharif in the classic movie but was fired from the film after both sides disagreed with how Shariff should be played.

The docuseries, which will air in five parts, delves into the lives and legacies of Tupac Shakur and his mother, Afeni, with the story being told through the eyes of Afeni. The initial description of the docuseries states, “Their story chronicles the possibilities and contradictions of the United States from a time of revolutionary fervor to hip-hop culture’s most ostentatious decade.”

The docuseries includes unseen and unheard-of audio clips and video footage of the rapper and actor born in Harlem, New York, on June 16, 1971, and killed in Las Vegas after a Mike Tyson boxing match on Sept. 13, 1996.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two-episode Dear Mama premiere averaged about 185,000 viewers. Although that doesn’t match or surpass the show Welcome to Wrexham when it debuted in August 2022 (the show averaged 271,000 viewers for its first two episodes), it received more viewership due to streaming.

The show currently airs on Friday nights until the last episode set to air next Friday, May 12.