Unforeseen Yellowstone Revelation: The Shocking Impact of Kevin Costner's Departure

Summary

Kevin Costner's departure from Yellowstone couldn't have come at a worse time, as Paramount's efforts to expand the show's fan base have been successful.

The pilot episode of Yellowstone on CBS drew in 3.3 million new viewers, presenting an opportunity to captivate a fresh audience. Although Yellowstone may not directly reap the rewards of this surge in viewership, the triumph on CBS bodes well for the forthcoming spin-off shows.

Yellowstone's recent viewership triumph highlights the unfortunate timing of Kevin Costner's departure from the beloved Paramount show. As one of Paramount Network's most popular series, Yellowstone has kept the studio's TV division afloat with its highly acclaimed flagship show and numerous spin-offs. The show centers around the Dutton family's fight to protect their cattle ranch from malevolent land developers, all while battling their own personal issues. Costner's leadership as John Dutton III has been invaluable, but his tenure on the show is soon coming to an end.

Costner's decision to step away from Yellowstone is driven by his focus on directing Horizon: An American Saga, an ambitious four-part series of epic western films. Regrettably, his departure comes at an inopportune moment, as Paramount's latest attempt to expand the Yellowstone fan base has proven immensely successful. In a bid to attract new viewers, Paramount premiered the show's pilot episode on CBS. An astounding 6.6 million viewers tuned in, with an impressive 3.3 million of them being entirely new to the series. Half of the total viewership had never experienced Yellowstone before, solidifying the impact of Paramount's expansion efforts.

Yellowstone's CBS Success Shows Costner's Exit Ended The Show At The Worst Time

Media conglomerates increasingly adopt the practice of broadcasting episodes of their popular streaming shows on their traditional TV networks as a strategy to attract new subscribers. In the case of Disney, for example, they aired the first two episodes of their highly acclaimed Star Wars series, Andor, on multiple networks including ABC, FX, Freeform, and Hulu during the Thanksgiving holiday in 2022. Paramount followed a similar approach by airing the first episode of Yellowstone on CBS, which successfully garnered the attention of 3.3 million viewers. While not all of them may continue watching, a significant number of viewers are likely to become engaged.

However, with Costner's imminent departure from the show and only half a season remaining, Paramount has limited time to capitalize on the newfound fans of Yellowstone. Broadcasting the show on one of the major networks, known as the "Big Three," has attracted a fresh audience. Yellowstone specifically targets an older demographic, with older individuals being the primary consumers of live television. Thus, the decision to air Yellowstone on CBS to appeal to viewers within this demographic was a clever move. However, it would have been even more strategic if the studio had made this decision a few years earlier, as Costner's exit is expected to have a detrimental impact on the show's longevity.

Yellowstone's CBS Viewership Is Great News For Upcoming Spinoffs

Although Yellowstone will only reap the benefits of these new CBS viewers during the latter part of its final season, the expanding fan base brings great news for the upcoming spin-offs. Already, Yellowstone has successfully launched prequel shows 1883 and 1923, which delve deeper into the history of the Dutton family. Paramount is currently developing three more spin-offs: 6666, centered around the Four Sixes Ranch featured in seasons 4 and 5 of Yellowstone; 1944, another prequel; and an untitled sequel series set after the conclusion of Yellowstone's final season. While Yellowstone itself may not directly benefit from the increase in viewership, the spin-offs certainly will.