Month: April 2025

Does this new crime drama appeal to the typical Paramount+ audience? 
Largely yes. With a viewership that skews heavily to men (68%) and those aged 30+ (72%), MobLand hits the same sweet-spot audience quadrant as the bulk of the streamer’s most popular recent dramas, including Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, Landman, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, 1923, The Offer, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (all 60-71% men, 72-78% 30+). (A major exception is the just-released Happy Face, which pulls in 60% women.)

What’s the show’s big draw? 
Its mafia trappings. MobLand’s deep focus on the high-stakes and very dangerous criminal underworld inhabited by its characters is acting as an irresistible pull for viewers curious to see Guy Ritchie’s version of The Godfather. Criminal Masterminds (130) Conrad and Maeve Harrigan, the power couple leading the family syndicate (Criminal Organization, 160) that dominates the London gun and drugs scene (Committing a Crime, 138), set the stage for a gripping saga of life-or-death loyalty and ruthless retribution.

What about Tom Hardy’s character? 
He gooses the ratings. Fixer Harry Da Souza is actually MobLand’s protagonist, with the events largely unfolding around his role as the Harrigans’ extremely effective problem solver. Though not related by blood, he is the family’s prized Protector & Guardian (128), for whom brutal Action & Violence (128) comes easy when taking care of business. Though prone to taking Vengeance (119) when friend or foe crosses the line, his role when the show opens is actually one of peacemaker (Tranquility, 118), working to quell the flames of war as enmity builds with rival clan the Stevensons. Da Souza leans right into the show’s top crime-related ratings drivers while adding a few of his own.

How does the show’s online situation look? 
Incredible. After the early March trailer drop spiked social buzz to the very top of our meter (at 160), the pilot’s premiere repeated the performance, and the series has sustained that “outstanding” level of online activity ever since. Viewers are responding to the High Stakes (112) and Scary Situations (112) that are built into the life of a successful mafia family.

What will help push the show into a second season? 
Its focus on a Multigenerational Family (111). In addition to Conrad and Maeve, MobLand’s central clan includes several Harrigan children and grandchildren, all of whom exhibit varying levels of suitability for the violent and ruthless family business (Crime Family, 133). The Harrigans’ interfamilial dynamics, as well as their tumultuous reign over London’s criminal underworld (British Culture, 123), drive the story engine that will keep viewers coming back for future seasons.

Who’s been watching this unique new show?
We’re seeing an audience that leans somewhat toward women (59%) and is heavily aged 30+ (71%)–a notably different viewership profile than other series that deal frankly with sex. Female-fronted sex dramedies like Sex Education, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Grace and Frankie, Fleabag, Girls, and Shrill as a category tend to appeal much more strongly to women (62-73%) and generally skew younger (45-68% aged 30+).

Why are viewers tuning in?
For the ride-or-die Female Friendship (160) at the show’s center. Dying for Sex’s beating heart comes from the incredibly tightknit bond between struggling cancer patient Molly and her brash BFF (160) Nikki, who vows to support her friend through the end of her life after she leaves her unfulfilling marriage. This Supportive Relationship (145) forms the emotional backbone of the show, infusing it with both humor (Awkward & Funny Moments, 133) and pathos as Molly–and the audience–grapple with her terminal diagnosis.

What type of viewing experience are audiences looking for?
One with great emotional depth. The series echoes Molly’s journey through grief, discovery, and revelation, taking viewers through the same richly complex highs and lows as the protagonist and her loved ones. From Anger (139), Fear (134), and Sadness (132) to Awe (139), Joy (136), and Love (120), Dying for Sex covers the full range of human experience under the shadow of our mortality.

What’s making the show so bingeworthy?
Molly’s journey of self-discovery. Her diagnosis-spurred drive to experience all variations of Sexual Activity (120)–along with the awkward Sexual Humor (111) that accompanies it–is what’s keeping audiences glued to their seats as they come along for the ride of her intense sexual awakening. Molly’s sexual bucket list also makes the show feel quite unique, as it puts a very different spin on the Dying Protagonist (119) theme; other shows centered around terminal cancer (e.g. New Amsterdam, Breaking Bad, Red Band Society) tend to choose very different routes.

How is the show’s social buzz?
Strong. After the trailer spiked into “promising” range (peaking at 118), the April 4 release of the full first season shot to the top of our buzz meter (at 160) and stuck there for a solid week. Though online activity has since dropped off a bit, it still remains in “outstanding” territory (at 128), suggesting that the show will continue to have legs. Viewers are primarily tweeting and posting about Molly’s Life Changing Decision (147) to abandon her 15-year marriage in order to pursue a sexual journey and rely on her best friend for support.