Yellowstone, the modern-day Western that hooked millions of viewers on its Paramount Network and then on streaming, is returning to CBS for a second season.
CBS will continue airing Yellowstone on Sundays during its fall lineup. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes left several networks struggling to end the year with original programming, but CBS managed to bring some fresh (for the network) material to its network by adding the series.
An average of 5.49 million people tuned in each week to watch Yellowstone on CBS, according to The Hollywood Reporter, making it the most-watched show on Sunday nights. More than half of CBS’ audience was catching the show for the first time.
CBS started playing the first season of the Emmy-nominated series on September 17. It was the first time the show ran on network television, previously only available on Paramount+ and Peacock on streaming and the Paramount Network on cable. The series was a hit with audiences and completed the first half of the fifth season in 2022 as the most-watched program for 2022-2023, excluding live sports, The Hollywood Reporter notes.
Yellowstone follows conflicts and growing tensions along the borders between Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, the Broken Rock Indian reservation, Yellowstone National Park, and others encroaching on their land. The series stars Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Brecken Merrill, and Jefferson White.
Plans for a sixth season were scrapped as a sequel series starring Matthew McConaughey is in development titled 6666 (pronounced ‘four sixes’), preceding the Duttons settling in Montana. It follows 1883, starring Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, and 1923, starring Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford, in the Yellowstone saga. No release date has been set as the project is paused until the Hollywood strikes are over.
Yellowstone season two will debut on October 29, with new episodes airing on Sunday nights. The series will also play on Paramount Network, and seasons one through five are available to stream on Paramount+.