'High Castle' sets Amazon viewership record

The Man in the High Castle, a new series based on Phillip K. Dick's 1962 novel, has set a new viewership record for Amazon Prime's original series just four weeks after the full 10-episode first season was released on Nov. 20.

Amazon says Castle, available in the U.S., United Kingdom, Germany and Austria, is "the most-streamed original show ever" by its members, besting No. 2 Bosch, a detective series also based on a novel. Of course, the service won't say how many people have watched it:  with rare exceptions, along with competitors Netlflix and Hulu it does not reveal viewership data.

But the series  was renewed for a second season last week among other series pickups and renewals.

Castle imagines what would have happened if Japan and Germany won World War II and controlled a partitioned United States. Stars include Alexa Davalos, Luke Kleintank and Rufus Sewell.  Review were strong, including one by Paste BN's Robert Bianco, who called it fall's best new drama.

Amazon's other current series include Emmy-winning Transparent (its second season was released early this month) and Mozart in the Jungle, which returns Dec. 30.