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The cast of “P-Valley” Season 2. Photo courtesy of Starz
June 9 (UPI) — Starz announced Thursday that its critically-acclaimed strip club drama, P-Valley, set a record in its second season debut for the streamer’s largest season over season growth.
The second season debut Friday drew 4.5 million multiplatform viewers in the United States alone, which was up 1,018% from its first series debut, according to a network statement.
The network noted that the number of viewers was based on early reporting with several platforms and additional territories globally yet to report them.
P-Valley also had the highest number of acquisitions in three years, “making it one of the best-performing series of all time.”
In the second season, the strip club in Chucalissa, Miss., called The Pynk, struggles to stay open amid the COVID-19 pandemic and battles for leadership, and viewers get a deeper look into the lives of the characters.
The second season of the series from executive producer and Pulitzer Prize-winner Katori Hall, which fans have been awaiting since its 2020 debut, also ranked as the most socially-engaged primetime drama over last weekend, Starz noted.
“Katori and the entire P-Valley team have done an amazing jobs bringing audiences a second season that has delivered record-setting viewer performance and subscription growth, and through its incredible storytelling has continued driving cultural conversation and critical acclaim,” said Alison Hoffman, president, Domestic Networks at Starz, in a statement. “The series exemplifies our commitment to amplifying narratives by, about and for women and underrepresented audiences, and we are so proud of its continued success.”
The series is based on the play Pussy Valley by Hall (The Mountaintop, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical), who serves as showrunner and co-executive producer, along with Dante Di Loreto.
“Our Pynk Posse showed up and showed out!,” Hall said regarding the record viewership. “The incredible response to season two feels like such a gift after the challenging pause of these past few years, but we’re back and we’re just getting started ya’ll.”
Among the stars in the returning cast, are Nicco Annan (This is Us) as Uncle Clifford, Elarica Johnson (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) as Autumn Night, Brandee Evans (The Bobby Brown Story) as Mercedes, Shannon Thornton (Power) as Miss Mississippi, and Morocco Omari (Empire) as Big L.
Some new cast members include John Clarence Stewart (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) as Big Teak, newcomer Miracle Watts as Big Bone, Shamika Cotton (The Wire) as Farrah, Gail Bean (Snowfall) as Roulette, and Psalms Salazar (Girl Lost: A Hollywood Thriller) as Whisper.
