There were a lot of people who wanted to see who shot John Dutton and others as Yellowstone returned for Season 4 last Sunday.
How many? More than ever before. An article from Variety helps us get down to ratings’ numbers.
The Season 4 premiere saw the outcome of a fierce attack against John, played by Kevin Costner, and other Dutton family members and friends.
Yellowstone had 14.7 million people glued to their TV sets. That number is up 58 percent compared to the show’s Season 3 premiere at 9.3 million.
This premiere was simulcast across Paramount Net, CMT, Pop, and TV Land. It is up 66 percent compared to its Season 3 premiere (12.7 versus 7.6 million viewers).
Paramount Network figures alone had Yellowstone up 10.5 million total viewers — 60 percent in comparison with its Season 3 premiere (6.5 million). In that all-important 18-49 age demographic, the show is up 64 percent in ratings (4.19 versus 2.56).
It was quite a show as Beth Dutton, played by Kelly Reilly, and Rip Wheeler, played by Cole Hauser, managed to get together. Yellowstone fans also got a chance to see Beth and Jamie Dutton, played by Wes Bentley, get into a shouting match.
Tuning into Season 4 could definitely cause some viewers to go back and rewatch Season 3 episodes.
Outsiders, catch a new episode of Yellowstone on Sunday nights on the Paramount Network.
‘Yellowstone’ Fans Aren’t Too Hip On What Went Down In Season 4 Premiere
While the numbers around ratings and viewership were up, there were some Yellowstone fans who weren’t hip about the premiere.
(Note: The following information contains spoilers from the Season 4 premiere.)
The complaining went down in a recent Reddit thread, where some didn’t find the unrealistic results of the Season 3 attacks. Other Redditors came out to defend the choices of co-creator Taylor Sheridan.
So these fans called the premiere “implausible” and “weird.” Some of them seemed to want Sheridan to kill off Beth even as they grudgingly admitted they couldn’t see John or Kayce Dutton, played by Luke Grimes, dying.
One fan wrote, “[What] do you y’all think about everyone surviving the attack?”
The Redditor thought that the storyline makes the Season 3 finale meaningless.
“Beth surviving was strange and confusing, I figured John would survive,” the fan writes. “I actually would’ve been very shocked if he died and Kayce I had no doubt he would survive. What do y’all think about all this??”
Another fan chimed in and says, “Implausible to say the least. But what did we expect? TV magic at its finest. I’m glad characters survived but it definitely cheapens the 15-month build to the premiere following the finale.”
