‘Klondike’: Richard Madden miniseries at Discovery gets off to solid start

When Discovery entered the world of scripted programming for the first time, it was a mystery to everyone just how it would do. This is a network that has made quite a successful living for itself over the years thanks to various documentaries and reality shows, with there being a pretty common thread among all of them: You don’t have to go into them with a knowledge of really anything to understand just what is going on.

That is what makes “Klondike” different. It’s a serialized miniseries starring Richard Madden (“Game of Thrones“), but it is at least a show that is very familiar to Discovery viewers in how the subject is very keenly focused on the gold rush of the north, which they have made many shows around over the years. Therefore, it’s not like they are just diving into this territory without any sort of prior knowledge about what to expect.

Overall, the first two installments of the series drew 3.4 million viewers on average, which is one of the best performances for any premiere on Discovery Monday night. Also, this may be more impressive when you consider that the competition included such things as “The Bachelor,” “Sleepy Hollow’s” finale, and so much more on primetime TV. This is not necessarily a smash hit like “Hatfields & McCoys” was for History, but you have to remember that this was a show that did not come into it with a famous subject matter. It was more about a time than any one famous person / family.

This is at least further promise that Madden should be a player in this industry for some time. He has also filmed the upcoming big-screen adaptation of “Cinderella,” which also stars Lily James and Sophie McShera of “Downton Abbey” fame.

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Photo: Discovery