AMC's Premiere of Original Western Drama THE SON Garners 3 Million Viewers

THE SON premiered Saturday night on AMC, continuing the network's tradition of capping a day of classic Western films and television shows with an original Western drama. The special two-hour series premiere delivered nearly 3 million viewers across AMC and its sister network SundanceTV in Nielsen Live+3 ratings. "The Son" was the #1 original series on cable for the night and one of the top cable premieres of the Current TV season.

"Horses for courses, as they say: We're so proud of 'The Son' and what it represents in our continued commitment to Saturday night original programming. Original Westerns on AMC began with 'Broken Trail' and 'Hell on Wheels,' now we're spending Saturday nights in Texas," said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios. "We are pleased to once again be super-serving true passionate fans on a night where millions are still available to enjoy them as event television. Congratulations to Philipp Meyer, Kevin Murphy, the inimitable Pierce Brosnan and everyone else who worked so hard to bring this epic, multi-generational, family drama to AMC."

The two-episode premiere of "The Son" delivered 2.6 million viewers on AMC and nearly 400,000 viewers on sister network SundanceTV, in Nielsen Live+3 ratings. New episodes air on both networks each Saturday at 9 p.m.

Based on Philipp Meyer's New York Times best-selling and Pulitzer Prize finalist novel, "The Son" is a sweeping family saga spanning 150 years and three generations of the McCullough family. The series traces the transformation of Eli McCullough (Pierce Brosnan), the charismatic family patriarch, from good-natured innocent to calculating killer. He loses everything on the wild frontier, setting him on the path to building a ranching-and-oil dynasty of unsurpassed wealth and privilege. Eli's eldest son Pete (Henry Garrett), has grown up in his father's shadow and struggles to make him proud while forging his own identity. Pete's strong-willed daughter, Jeannie (Sydney Lucas) idolizes her grandfather and despite being raised in a male-dominated world, rejects her fate of existing solely to marry and bear children. Eli's ruthlessness pits him against his wealthy Spanish neighbor, Pedro Garcia (Carlos Bardem) and his quest for power triggers consequences that span generations. Shared through a series of flashbacks, "The Son" pulls viewers into the world of young Eli McCullough (Jacob Lofland) and his father figure, Comanche war chief, Toshaway (Zahn McClarnon) and deftly explores the McCullough's rise to become one the most powerful family dynasties in Texas.

Produced by AMC Studios and Sonar Entertainment, "The Son" is written and executive produced by Meyer, Lee Shipman, Brian McGreevy and showrunner Kevin Murphy. Tom Lesinski and Jenna Santoianni also serve as executive producers.

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