Yellowstone Season 1 is bringing in millions of new viewers on CBS

Yellowstone may be nearing its final curtain call, but the journey is far from over. Due to the strike, Yellowstone was brought over to CBS to help fill their fall lineup and it was a genius move for CBS and a fantastic opportunity for the show.

The series opened up a week ago and brought in 6.6 million viewers on all platforms. Almost half of that viewership, roughly 3 million, were newbies to the neo-western drama according to Variety. That was always my prediction when the show carried back over to CBS.

On a national platform, many people would venture over to see what Yellowstone was all about. The ones that do get hooked are more likely to watch the final season wrap up later this year.

Filming should be underway very soon once the SAG-AFTRA strike is over. The numbers are impressive when you think about it.

Back in June of 2018, the season premiered with 2.8 million viewers. The next few episodes after they kept a steady hold at around 2 million views, until season 3 when it saw numbers reaching over 4 million.

The start of Yellowstone season 4 soared with 8.38 million viewers back in November of 2021. The end of that season left off with 9.34 million viewers.

A colossal jump from the debut we just saw on CBS. Season 5 started in November of 2022 and the numbers have held strong.

Its debut garnered 9.41 million viewers and then dropped off to 7 million until the very last episode we saw, “A Knife and No Coin”, which brought it 8.19 million. Episode 4 of Yellowstone, “The Long Black Train”, carried in 4.4 million on CBS this last week.

Episode 5, “Coming Home”, aired directly after and dropped a little under 4 million. But still fantastic numbers for Yellowstone that I only expect to keep rising. After all, what more do you want on a Sunday night but some NFL football and ruggedly handsome cowboys? Episode 2, “Kill the Messenger”, brought in 5 million views.

The numbers are down from last week but anything over 4 million is nothing to sneeze at. Especially given this is a series that most people have watched already and not all are tuning in for a second go-around.

When is the next Yellowstone episode airing on CBS?

“The Remembering” will air this week so get ready for balls-to-the-wall crazy from the Dutton clan. Nothing is ever as it seems with this formidable team. And just when you think the tide has finally calmed, guess again. Here’s how CBS describes the episode:

"“A new partnership threatens John and the Yellowstone. Jamie ramps up his political campaign, and Rip confronts Kayce about cleaning up his messes.”"

If there is one thing you can expect from episode 5 it’s family rivalry. Jamie is constantly battling it out with sister Beth for their father’s respect and attention.

Kayce is now back in the folds at the ranch but not willingly. Through the years Rip has become John’s second-hand man and when the chosen child Kayce is back, jealousy ensues.

Prepare for a lot of drama to unfold in the bunkhouse. This week is an overrun for NFL football so Yellowstone will be airing at 9 p.m. ET after 60 Minutes, which airs at 7:30 this Sunday, October 8.