Yellowstone Episode 4 Brings in Massive Ratings for CBS

Yellowstone continues to be a huge ratings win for CBS. The network is halfway through broadcasting the first season of the Paramount Network series and Sunday’s airing of the fourth episode brought in an average of 4.4 million viewers, making it the number one scripted show for the week. The numbers for Episode 4, “The Long Black Train”, are especially impressive when you consider that Season 1 of Yellowstone first aired in 2018 and Sundays numbers are more than double the episode’s original ratings. Episode 5, “Coming Home”, also performed well on Sunday, with just under 4 million viewers.

Yellowstone‘s broadcast success has been interesting to watch. The Taylor Sheridan created series’ CBS debut was a huge success for the network with 6.56 million viewers and while those numbers have dipped a little — presumably since viewers are able to stream the rest of Season 1 as well as all additional current seasons and episodes of the series on Peacock — it’s still a ratings driver. The series is also bringing in viewers who had never before seen the hit series. Half of the massive audience that tuned in for Yellowstone’s broadcast premiere were first-time viewers just getting acquainted with the Dutton family.

When Will Yellowstone Return With New Episodes?

While CBS is airing episodes of Yellowstone from the start, the series is currently in its fifth season, but it may be a while before fans are able to get back to new episodes of the series. Yellowstone went on a midseason break earlier this year and thus far, production on the remaining episodes of Season 5 has not even begun. Additionally, Yellowstone is set to end with Season 5 as Kevin Costner, who plays patriarch John Dutton III, is departing the series. A continuation or follow up series is reportedly in the work with Matthew McConaughey set to star.

“He seems like a natural fit,” Sheridan said previously. “We had a few conversations over the years, and spitballed a few ideas. Then he started watching Yellowstone and responded to it. He was like, ‘I want to do that.’ And by ‘that’ he meant diving into a raw world clashing up against the modern world. And then I said, ‘Buddy, that we can do.’”

“My idea of a spinoff is the same as my idea of a prequel – read into that what you will,” Sheridan added. “There are lots of places where a way of life that existed for 150 years is slamming against a new way of life, but the challenges are completely different. There are a lot of places you can tell this story.”

Yellowstone Creator Taylor Sheridan Has Previously Addressed John Dutton’s Ending

Earlier this year, Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter that while he was disappointed with how things worked out with Costner, the closure of the John Dutton character remains generally unchanged — it just truncates things and there’s not a behind-the-scenes tension fueled “f-ck you car crash” sort of ending planned either.

“I’m disappointed,” Sheridan said. “It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.”

He continued, “I don’t do f-ck you car crashes. Whether [Dutton’s] fate inflates [Costner’s] ego or insults is collateral damage that I don’t factor in with regard to storytelling.”

Yellowstone airs Sunday nights on CBS. The first four seasons of the series are also available to stream on Peacock.