Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone Is Experiencing An Unexpected Revival

Curious audiences without access to the Paramount Network jumped at the chance to see what all the fuss was about in the Kevin Costner-led drama, Yellowstone, and it paid off. According to Variety, viewers flocked to CBS to watch the first season of the modern-day Western series, leading the network to move forward with offering the second season. Season 1 just came to its exciting conclusion last night, October 22, with eager fans only forced to wait one week until Season 2 premieres on October 29. 

The network’s decision to move Kevin Costner’s John Dutton and the rest of the characters of Yellowstone from its Paramount Network to CBS has paid off greatly as it saved CBS from viewership failings as part of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. As the series is one of the most popular titles out there right now, it’s hard to believe that some still haven’t seen as much as one episode.

But a CBS press release revealed that 52 percent of those tuning in are brand new watchers. With a successful debut back in September that saw the premiere episode garnering the attention of 6.6 million viewers, the numbers only went up from there as the episode was made available on DVR, VOD, and other platforms.

Still, there are many who have been with the series since its beginnings back in 2018 who are painfully waiting for news of when the second half of its final season will premiere. The mid-season point for Season 5 dropped on New Year’s Day, meaning that it’s almost been a full year since audiences were left on a cliffhanger.

Although rumors were long swirling surrounding Kevin Costner’s plans to leave Yellowstone behind, it was eventually revealed that not only would he not be coming back for a sixth season but that the show would pull a full stop after Season 5. 

Season 5 saw Kevin Costner’s Dutton family patriarch, John Dutton, rise to the top of power as the governor of Montana, casting an even darker light onto the leading character of Yellowstone. With his daughter, Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) by his side, John seems to be invincible but with the wrath of his adopted son, Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) breathing down his neck, the rest of Season 5 could very well be a bloodbath. 

Meanwhile, Kevin Costner is ready to strike out for greener pastures and live a life beyond Yellowstone, which nabbed him a Golden Globe Award at the beginning of the year. Going through a very public divorce from his wife of two decades, Christine Baumgartner, this year Costner has been keeping himself busy with his latest project – Horizon.

Joined by names including Jena Malone, Michael Rooker, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, and Luke Wilson, the film – which is expected to arrive next summer – will be the first piece of what will become a Western epic.

From one Western to another, those who’ve grown attached to Kevin Costner’s character in Yellowstone through watching the series on CBS or Paramount Network won’t have too long to see him back in action.