AMC’s New Sci-Fi Show Starring a Star Trek Actor Is Streaming & Ratings Hit

AMC’s latest series, Nautilus, set sail to huge ratings. According to Deadline, the series secured 2.6 million viewers during its premiere on June 26th. That makes for the network’s biggest premiere night audience since The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, which debuted on the network last year. The series is also a hit for AMC+, where the network claims it is currently pacing as one of the top new series in both viewership and acquisition. The AMC series is based on the beloved science fiction classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by French author Jules Verne and stars Shazad Latif (Star Trek: Discovery).

Nautilus has had a bumpy journey to the small screen. The series was originally developed as a Disney+ series; however, the streaming service opted to cancel the show before it had a chance to premiere. With production already wrapped, the show was then shopped around to other networks, and AMC ultimately picked up the series just two months after Disney+ cancelled it, intending to air it in 2024. While the show failed to premiere in 2024 as originally planned, the move seemingly paid off for AMC and AMC+, with the show delivering strong ratings upon its debut.

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Disney+ originally cut Nautilus as a cost-saving measure, with the streaming service hoping to recoup some of the money it invested in the sci-fi series. With the series being a strong performer for AMC, it appears the network made the right decision in opting to purchase the series from Disney.

What Is Nautilus About?

Latif stars as Captain Nemo in the series, an Indian Prince robbed of his birthright and family, a prisoner of the East India Mercantile Company, and a man bent on revenge against the forces that have taken everything from him. As part of his revenge mission, Nemo steals a prototype submarine and sets off into the ocean with a motley crew of prisoners. He is joined on screen by Georgia Flood, Thierry Frémont, Muki Zubis, Pacharo Mzembe, Arlo Green, Chum Ehelepola, Tyrone Ngatai, Ling Cooper Tang, Andrew Shaw, Ashan Kumar, Céline Menville, Kayden Price, Damien Garvey, Richard E. Grant, Benedict Hardie, Jacob Collins-Levy, and Luke Arnold.

The series hails from Moonriver TV’s Xavier Marchand and Seven Stories’ Anand Tucker, who both developed and produced the project. The series was written and executive-produced by James Dormer.

Before headlining Nautilus, Latif starred in shows like Penny Dreadful as Dr. Henry Jekyll, Star Trek: Discovery as Ash Tyler, and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, where he voiced Kylan. On the big screen, he’s appeared in films like The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and What’s Love Got to Do with It?

Nautilus will continue airing its first season on AMC and AMC+ with new episodes premiering every Sunday. The first season of Nautilus will wrap up with its season finale on August 17th. As of now, it’s unknown whether or not the show will receive a second season. That decision will likely come following the season finale when the network has a better idea of its overall performance. If you missed the premiere of Nautilus, the show’s premiere episode is streaming exclusively on AMC+.