Alternative history Nazi drama The Man in the High Castle only needed a month to become Amazon's most-streamed original show, overtaking shows like the detective-centric Bosch and Jill Soloway's feted dramedy Transparent. Amazon announced the achievement this morning, and the news is coming just a few days after the company renewed The Man in the High Castle for a second season. The show's pilot had been streamed more times than any other pilot in Amazon history — in that light, its quick rise to the top of the service's overall charts isn't surprising.
Like streaming competitors Netflix and Hulu, Amazon doesn't release specific viewership numbers or details. Until this point, it's been rare for the company to comment on the performance of its Prime Video original series, even in a relative sense. We still don't know exactly how many people watched The Man in the High Castle or its counterparts, but we can draw a couple quick conclusions from Amazon's release. Cop shows and Nazi dramas are popular no matter where they're being aired; in Transparent's case, critical acclaim and award recognition doesn't always translate into high ratings. The Man in the High Castle may have made a splashy debut, but its record is going to be challenged sooner rather than later. Bosch's second season premieres next year, and Amazon's making sure its existing shows will have plenty of big-name competition for subscriber eyeballs.