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One of America's most popular TV shows returns today, but there's a catch

Updated on Monday November 11th. See update below.

It's been almost two years since the hugely popular modern western drama Yellowstone recently aired one episode. Season 5, Part 1 ended with the 8th episode in December 2022. Episode 9 is released today.

That's a hell of a wait, folks. I'm allowed to write sentences like this because I'm from the exact place where this show is set: Bozeman, Montana, born and raised. That's where I rode my first horse, although I haven't done any bronco riding and I can't lasso to save my life. I can hit the side of a barn with a rifle, but I'm no John Dutton.

In fact, “no John Dutton” is like that Speaking of which, because Kevin Costner will not appear in this half of the series. The film's star and filmmaker had a much-publicized argument with mega-producer Taylor Sheridan over the amount of time he would need to spend on set. Costner was and is in the process of filming his epic four-part Western film series Horizon: An American Saga, and his attention was too divided to remain a part of it Yellowstone Melodrama.

(I rather liked it Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, and I look forward to seeing Chapter 2 later this year.

In any case, the story of the Dutton family continues tonight at 8:00 pm ET on Paramount Network and at 10:00 pm ET on CBS (a special broadcast).

The big “catch” in the title of this post is that this is the case the only way to watch unless you wait for the streaming release on Peacock months later. That's not entirely true. You can also purchase the season on Prime Video and watch the episodes online earlier. But that's the only way to keep up with Beth (Kelly Reilly), Rip (Cole Hauser), Kayce (Luke Grimes), Monica (Kelsey Asbille), Jamie (Wes Bentley), Jimmy (Jefferson White) and all the rest of the Cowboys cast and their antagonists takes place via traditional cable television.

Are you watching? Yellowstone Despite it? I know many fans have been unhappy with the way the show has gone over the last few seasons, but it remains an extremely popular soap opera (I call it a soap opera, just as I thought). Sons of Anarchy to be a soap opera, but you may disagree). Let me know your thoughts on this TwitterInstagram or Facebook. Also, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.

For more shows and movies coming out this weekend, check out my weekend streaming guide. Netflix also just dropped the final season of one of its best shows, although it's about as different Yellowstone as you can get.

Update 11/11/24

Spoilers for Season 5, Part 2 follow.

I thought I'd take a look at the reviews for season five Yellowstone, And it's interesting that 84% of critics rate it “Fresh” while only 41% of viewers do, rating it “Rotten” on Popcorn Meter. On Reddit and social media, people are deeply dissatisfied about one thing in particular: the death of John Dutton.

As mentioned above, Costner wanted out, so Sheridan wrote him out of the series in perhaps the most absurd way imaginable: by having him shoot himself. As many commentators note, there is no way for Dutton to commit suicide. It's so out of character that it defies plausibility. It's possible that the shooting wasn't a suicide and we'll find out that Dutton was murdered, but Sheridan definitely could have given Dutton a more peaceful ending – a heart attack, for example.

“John Dutton was a fantastic character and despite the Kevin Costner drama, he deserved a better sendoff than Yellowstone gave him,” one fan wrote on Twitter. “Yellowstone has its first episode without Kevin Costner and they ruined it in the first five minutes,” said another.

Many fans blame Sheridan for the chaos. “I didn't realize how complete John Dutton the show was until this episode,” one fan wrote on reddit. “Sort of like any family that seems to collapse when its matriarch or patriarch dies. Sometimes a strong child or grandchild raises everyone from the ashes, and sometimes the family never recovers. But either Taylor or Kevin completely screwed us with 5B. I suspect that the arrogant megalomaniac Taylor destroyed his own series with this shit show. I will never invest in another Sheridan series again.”

Honestly, this makes me even less interested in finishing Season 5. I'm only a few episodes back, but learning that John Dutton may have killed himself dampened my enthusiasm to return to the series. Too bad. Even though it ends up being a murder, it feels like a bad ending for the show's star, especially after so many trials and tribulations.

Have you seen the latest episode? What do you think? let me know TwitterInstagram or Facebook. Also, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.

Corrected, November 11th: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the number of episodes in Yellowstone's fifth season. There were eight episodes, not seven.

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