Yellowstone never fails to wow when it comes to viewership figures, but this time, it has a welcome addition. The series, created by Taylor Sheridan, premiered on CBS last week to an astonishing 6.6 million viewers. When three days of delayed viewing on systems like VOD, DVR, and others were taken into account, the figure increased to around 7.5 million.
Despite the fact that the show is quite popular and has a high replay value, Variety reports that “around 50% of those viewers had never seen the cable drama before,” while the other half was made up of fans who were tuning in for a rewatch and were familiar with the antics of the Dutton family.
@CBSTweet shared about the Yellowstone CBS Debut average of 6.56M viewers, which makes it the #1 Entertainment Show of the week since May 2023.
#CBSRATINGSNEWS season premiere of @60MINUTES averaged 11.37m viewers, up +19% from last year. CBS debut of YELLOWSTONE averaged 6.56m viewers, was the #1 entertainment program of the week & largest audience for a scripted series on broadcast since the season finale of @NCIS in… pic.twitter.com/5k5PdRgSfo
— CBS Tweet (@CBSTweet) September 18, 2023
All because of Sheradan’s creative thinking, Yellowstone revolutionized cable TV and brought the Western genre back with a dramatic twist. It had 2.8 million viewers on Paramount Network, debuting in 2018 before going on to get widespread praise from critics and audiences alike. In November of last year, the show’s fifth season debuted to an audience of 8.8 million. And when the WGA and SAG strike this fall eliminated the network’s scripted programming, the executives chose to air Yellowstone re-runs on CBS, which attracted new viewers.
The report also claims that 1 million of the premiere night CBS viewers were “broadcast only,” which means they did not have cable and were therefore unable to watch the show on Paramount Network prior to its run on CBS. The Montana-based neo-western series quickly became popular with viewers. The Dutton family, whose patriarch John Dutton (Kevin Costner) is in charge and who owns the biggest contiguous ranch in the country, is the subject of the story.
The Dutton Family’s Legacy
As the story goes on, we observe them in disputes with those attempting to infringe on the ranch. By highlighting Native Americans’ problems, maintaining the harsh realities of the cowboy lifestyle, as well as the bloodshed and the struggle against modernity, the series does an excellent job of capturing the time period in which it is set. Sadly, the series will conclude with the upcoming second part of Season 5, given all the drama that has occurred behind the scenes.
The cast of the series: Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Jefferson White, Danny Huston, Gil Birmingham, Forrie J. Smith, Denim Richards, Ian Bohen, Ryan Bingham, Wendy Moniz, Jennifer Landon, Kathryn Kelly and Moses Brings Plenty among others.
Yellowstone will continue to air double episodes on Sundays, or you can watch it on Peacock Premium.
