Boy howdy, folks! Yellowstone is bucking like Broncos on CBS after a successful inaugural broadcast run. With the show continuing to perform like gangbusters, CBS is bringing Season 2 to the network beginning on October 29 after the telecast of the Season 1 finale, airing on October 22. Want to be impressed? CBS says Yellowstone roped 21.6 million viewers for at least one episode, with 52% new to the series. The first episode alone clocked 7.5 million viewers over three days.
Yellowstone follows “the Dutton family, led by John Dutton (Kevin Costner), who controls the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. The ranch is under constant attack by those it borders—land developers, an Indian reservation, and United States of America’s first National Park.”
The premiere season finale, “The Unraveling: Pt. 2,” follows John Dutton (Kevin Costner), who must uncover which family members and allies will stand with him as he faces competition and opportunists. The episode airs on CBS on October 22. The Season 2 episode, titled “A Thundering,” comes to CBS on October 29 and focuses on Kayce (Luke Grimes) as he settles into his new role at the ranch. “A damaging article threatens to expose John. Rainwater pitches his new plan to the tribal council,” reads the description, per CBS.
It was announced several months ago that the current incarnation of Yellowstone would be coming to an end as Kevin Costner had decided to exit the series, but that wasn’t meant to be the end. While on the stand, the actor said that he had originally been in negotiations to stick around for seasons five, six, and seven of Yellowstone, with a $12 million payday for each season. However, that changed when season five was split into two parts.
“Somewhere along the line they wanted to change things,” Costner said. “They wanted to do 5A and 5B… affected ‘Horizon.’ I was going to do my movie ‘Horizon’ and leave that show, do my movie, then do B. A show I was only doing once a year I was now doing twice.” The actor added that he had even shifted filming on Horizon to accommodate the changed schedule, but by the time he was ready, the show wasn’t. Still, Costner said that negotiations for season six continued before they eventually fell apart. “We did negotiate,” he said. “There were issues about creative. I tried to break the log jam. They walked away.” Costner added that he’s “disappointed in the production” and will “probably go to court over it.”
When it was announced that Kevin Costner would be exiting the series, Paramount quickly announced a sequel series that would continue the story of the Duttons with Matthew McConaughey tapped to star. “Yellowstone has been the cornerstone on which we have launched an entire universe of global hits, from 1883 to Tulsa King, and I am confident our Yellowstone sequel will be another big hit, thanks to the brilliant creative mind of Taylor Sheridan and our incredible casts who bring these shows to life,” Paramount Network president, Chris McCarthy, said in a statement at the time.
Will you watch Yellowstone as it continues to air on CBS? Are you looking forward to discovering what’s up with the show’s final season? Let us know in the comments section below.