Topline
Hit drama Yellowstone will make its broadcast television debut this fall on CBS following scheduling amendments from the company that were made in the wake of the writers’ and actors’ strikes, which have stifled and stopped production on several shows and movies.
Kevin Costner plays John Dutton on the hit drama Yellowstone. (Photo by Richard Bord/Getty Images … [+] for Cannes Lions)
Key Facts
CBS initially released its fall schedule in May, when it planned for the return of most of its scripted programming—a plan it has since revised with a new schedule that includes acquired programming and unscripted shows, according to Variety.
Yellowstone will make its CBS debut on Sundays at 9 p.m. Eastern time starting with season 1 of the show that is in its fifth season.
Paramount Network, the cable channel Yellowstone originated on, is owned by Paramount Global, which also owns CBS.
Tangent
The new CBS schedule features other programs such as The Amazing Race, Survivor, 60 Minutes and reruns of procedural drama Blue Bloods. Game shows such as The Price Is Right at Night and Let’s Make a Deal Primetime will air on Fridays. Reality game show Big Brother will air after episodes of Yellowstone.
Key Background
Yellowstone, led by its marquee actor Kevin Costner, is one of Paramount’s most valuable shows. It was crowned as the most-watched show on TV in 2022 and had the most-watched cable premiere since 2017’s The Walking Dead, according to Deadline. The show’s season five premiere last November garnered 12.1 million live-plus-same day viewers, breaking its own record for season premieres. CBS is leaning on the show’s success amid strikes from the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild, both of which have managed to pull the plug on production for television shows, streaming content and movies. As a result, networks have shifted to unscripted programming, such as reality shows.
Further Reading
Actors’ Union SAG-AFTRA Will Go On Strike—Shutting Down Hollywood (Forbes)
‘Yellowstone’ Sets Broadcast TV Debut as CBS Revises 2023 Fall Schedule Amid Strikes (Variety)
