'Yellowstone' Return Draws Staggering Ratings, Proves One Thing About Kevin Costner
The return of "Yellowstone" put up monster TV ratings.
The hit neo-Western show from Taylor Sheridan returned this past Sunday night for the start of season 5B with "Desire Is All You Need." You can read my full review here.
Many people were wondering how the show would proceed without Kevin Costner, and it didn't take long to get the answer.
John Dutton is dead, and his death has sparked the events that will wrap up how "Yellowstone" ends.
"Yellowstone" return gets huge ratings.
Can the show survive without Kevin Costner in the mix? Turns out all early signs point to the answer being an overwhelming yes. The show's season 5B premiere put up the best ratings for a premiere in the show's history.
Paramount Network released the following statement, in part, on the ratings from Sunday:
"Sunday night’s return of Yellowstone delivered the biggest premiere night audience ever with 16.4M viewers based on VideoAmp’s projected Total Persons/Live+SD gross viewership across all cable network and CBS airings (premieres + encores): Breakout of premiere + encores by networks available 5-7 days post airing based on VideoAmp standard reporting. 2022 season 5A premiere/encores included seven cable networks; 2024 premiere/encores include CBS and eight cable networks."
Well, I guess that puts to rest any debate about whether or not people would still care about "Yellowstone" with Kevin Costner out the door.
A record viewership for the season 5B premiere makes it clear that, yes, people are still interested, and it's not hard to understand why.
Fans have been watching "Yellowstone" since it first premiered in 2018. Millions of viewers are invested in the fate of the Duttons.
It's now 2024, and you'd be crazy to think people are going to turn it off just because Costner walked away. We've simply invested way too much. Whether fans hate or love John Dutton's exit, I can promise they're going to stick around to find out how it ends.
"Yellowstone" return puts up record ratings. (Credit: Paramount Network)
Kevin Costner was a great part of the show, but getting record viewership with him gone is a sign his exit won't kill interest. Did you watch the season 5B premiere? Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.