CBS is planning a longer stay at the Dutton ranch.
The network will continue its run of Paramount Network’s hit Yellowstone on Sunday nights with the show’s second season. The series from showrunner Taylor Sheridan (who co-created the modern-day western with John Linson) has helped shore up CBS’ lineup during strikes by writers (now ended) and actors (still ongoing).
Season one of Yellowstone, whose cast is headed by Kevin Costner (at least for the already completed seasons) had its CBS premiere on Sept. 17 and has averaged 5.49 million viewers per episode, according to the most current Nielsen ratings for the show. It has consistently been the most watched entertainment show on Sunday nights in the early weeks of the TV season. The network says more than half of the CBS audience — 52 percent, to be exact — is new to the series. That’s despite Yellowstone’s most recent season, which aired on Paramount Network in late 2022, having been the most watched show (outside of live sports) on broadcast or cable in the 2022-23 season.
Related Stories
CBS added Yellowstone to its fall schedule in July, after its initial, business-as-usual slate proved untenable as the writers strike stretched into summer and actors joined them on the picket lines that month. With SAG-AFTRA still on strike — and media companies having broken off negotiations for the time being — new scripted programming (that hasn’t already been completed) isn’t a possibility for CBS or other broadcasters.
The show’s first season finale is set to air Sunday on CBS, with the season two opener scheduled for Oct. 29.
