Kevin Costner and Paramount’s epic Yellowstone drew 12.1 million viewers, the most in its broadcast week. The beginning of the fifth season has become the most popular television episode of the current season.
Costner’s feat is impressive since Yellowstone airs on a cable network and not on the airwaves of big stations like CBS, NBS or ABC.
The episode was broadcast by several operators. Thus, 9.4 million people watched the beginning of the fifth season on “Paramount” alone.
“We created a series that wasn’t popular at first, but gradually took its rightful place” Costner recently said in an interview with the Associated Press.
“Yellowstone” is among the most-watched series right now, and that’s partly due to an older audience who are used to traditional TV viewing, said Joseph Adalian, editor of Vulture magazine. “People want to watch something and watch it now.”
The Kevin Costner Show demonstrates the continuing popularity of the western as a genre. It’s somewhat surprising that the series has received no copycats.
“Yellowstone” is extremely popular in the so-called red states. States with Republican governors, led by Texas, watch the Costner series three times more than states with Democratic governors.
No series has achieved more than 8 million viewers on the day it airs, although viewership typically increases with delayed viewing. CBS’ “Young Sheldon” reached 7.14 million viewers.
