The series premiere of I Am Cait, E!’s docu-series on Caitlyn Jenner’s life during and after her transition, drew 2.7 million viewers, beating typical Keeping Up With the Kardashians numbers but not matching other TV specials on Jenner.
According to Nielsen’s ‘live plus same-day’ estimates, I Am Cait averaged 2.73 million viewers for its debut on Sunday night, the network’s largest audience for a premiere in four years, and its third largest audience of any kind for 2015.
It’s an undeniable success for the show, which has seen praise across the board for its handling of wider trans issues, but falls slightly short of some expectations. It’s a far cry from the whopping 17 million viewers that tuned in for Jenner’s two-hour coming out interview with Diane Sawyer for ABC in April, or the 8 million that watched her collect the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs earlier this month.
It also falls just short of the 2.9 million viewers for the first of a two-part special episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians titled ‘All About Bruce’, which followed the Sawyer interview in May.
They’re certainly still impressive viewing figures though, and E! will be just as pleased with the positive reaction the show’s had online, with extensive praise both from the trans community and beyond:
Love trans people Loving and supporting each other. #girlslikeus #TransIsBeautiful https://t.co/clE7CHcoBc
— Laverne Cox (@Lavernecox) July 27, 2015
Watching @IAmCait w/ @Lavernecox's quote in my mind: When people have points of reference that are humanizing, that demystifies difference.
— Leo Caldwell (@Leo_Caldwell) July 27, 2015
Let's contextualize #IAmCait's premiere by centering violence facing trans women http://t.co/S4TT4OeyIP #girlslikeus pic.twitter.com/5PqS9ePTrm
— Janet Mock (@janetmock) July 26, 2015
@Caitlyn_Jenner is changing so many lives just by living her life authentically… I'm so proud of her! #IAmCait ❤️
— Jazz Jennings (@JazzJennings__) July 27, 2015
#IAmCait Is a compassionate show that will immediately make a positive cultural difference. @IAmCait @Caitlyn_Jenner @candiscayne
— Mike Ruiz (@mikeruiz1) July 27, 2015
Anyone would have forgiven #IAmCait to focus completely on Caitlyn. So beautiful to see the spotlight being shined on other trans stories
— Courtney Act (@courtneyact) July 27, 2015
.@Caitlyn_Jenner you and your story are beautiful ❤️ #IAmCait
— Lil' Kim (@LilKim) July 27, 2015
If you haven’t had the chance to watch the episode yet, check out our round-up of everything you need to know.