‘Underground,’ a pre-Civil War-based series centered around a group of Georgia plantation slaves who embark on a 600-mile trek to freedom via the Underground Railroad, has been colored with controversy since its 2015 announcement.

Executive produced by Grammy & Academy Award winning singer John Legend, the WGN America program (starring Jurnee Smollett-Bell) has seen its fair share of criticism as some argue it supports the notion the only noteworthy roles available for black actors are those based on slavery or some dark area of the African Americans’ past in the America.

But, despite ongoing skepticism, the show – which made its premiere last night – set viewership records for its network home.  Get the details below:

Viewership Total:  2.5 Million

Via Deadline:

Underground set a record as WGN’s highest performing original series ever in its launch last night. Across its four Wednesday night plays, the launch cumed 2.5M viewers, to stand as the best total-viewer opening ever for an original on WGN in same day viewing.

The 10 PM airing drew 1.4M total viewers to rank No. 5 among all scripted series premieres on cable this broadcast TV season. The premiere’s  585K  adults 25-54 ranks No. 7 in the TV season that started last September.