CBS May Have Censored Yellowstone, But It's Certainly Not Suffering

There's no doubt that part of the infectious appeal of "Yellowstone" has to do with the show's no-nonsense, unbridled approach to storytelling. There's a wild unpredictability to Taylor Sheridan's smash hit neo-Western that keeps fans coming back week-to-week, not knowing what to expect. When "Yellowstone" isn't focusing on the political machinations occurring in the state of Montana, it's telling tales of murder and mayhem, with a little (OK, a lot) of sex thrown in for good measure. 

Characters like Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) are decidedly R-rated, and they're much more interesting because of it. Due to the continuing lull and lack of new stories taking place under the "Yellowstone" banner, Paramount Network has continued to find new ways of getting their prize horse out of the stable so an even bigger swath of the population can find out what they've been missing. To do that, some of the more questionable content has been taken out. 

As a result, the series premiere of "Yellowstone" just debuted in the prime Sunday evening slot on CBS, marking the first time the show has ever been seen on broadcast television. In an impressive confirmation of just how big of a juggernaut the show still is, a whopping 6.6 million viewers tuned in to watch "Daybreak," the first episode of season one. The pilot first premiered back in 2018 with 2.8 million viewers. That version included a lot more nudity and harsh language, and CBS was forced to make a few edits to meet broadcast standards. Apparently, we as a society don't mind potentially offensive material as long as it's not on the same channel as "60 Minutes." 

The changes weren't enough to make much of a dent in the public's interest for "Yellowstone," proving that the ongoing trials and misdeeds of the Dutton family are just as addictive to watch in a slightly more watered-down format. 

The most-watched show on cable is now one of the most popular programs on network television. Outside of football, "Yellowstone" is bringing in a massive new audience on Sunday nights and is definitely benefitting from the popularity of "60 Minutes" which regularly averages over ten million viewers. If the series has lost a little bit of its bite due to some censored moments, it certainly doesn't look like the mainstream cares. 

In the move from Paramount over to CBS, "Yellowstone" still earned a TV-MA rating although a representative for the cable network confirmed that several changes had been made. The changes are relatively minor, however, ensuring that Sheridan's original rough-and-tumble vision for the show is still kept relatively intact, according to Country Living. In a smart move, CBS confirmed that any censored words will simply be muted instead of inserting any automated dialogue replacement (or ADR). Coming up with substitutes for cuss words to meet broadcast standards has been a long-standing, often hilarious tradition when an R-rated movie makes its way to network TV. (The highly censored version of "The Breakfast Club" turns John Hughes' seminal high school drama into an unintentional comedy.)

In addition, any sequences containing too much violence or sexual content will be softened in order to meet the community standards of citizens who happen to reside outside of the seemingly lawless Great Plains of Montana. For those already familiar with the show, that basically means that the mischievous matriarch of the family, Beth Dutton, won't be quite as menacing or bare-skinned in certain scenes.

After nearly five years on the air, CBS still estimates that over 80% of their audience had never seen an episode of "Yellowstone" before the Sunday premiere, according to Variety. That's a staggering statistic that marks a significant time in the history of television right now. When was the last time the first episode of a show that's already been on the air for five seasons had this much of a cultural impact? Now, every Sunday night, CBS can air the entire series all over again to an entirely new audience. A share of that audience will also wind up flocking to all of the existing spinoffs and upcoming shows as well. If the rest of season 5 ever gets made and airs on Paramount Network and Paramount+, it's sure to enjoy another string of ratings records. 

The delays for "Yellowstone" caused by the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and the behind-the-scenes drama between co-creator and writer Taylor Sheridan and star Kevin Costner are actually increasing the show's impact. For example, the prequel series "1883" was originally only available on Paramount+. Then, this last June, when new episodes of "Yellowstone" season 5 weren't in the pipeline, the streaming hub premiered it on Paramount Network for the first time. This essentially tricked some viewers who weren't aware that "1883" had already aired, giving the show an added boost and making it look like a premiere, prestige event on primetime. 

In the interim, the "Yellowstone" universe (or Sheridan-verse) has only become more popular. The ratings on CBS only prove this fact even more. At this point, it's not really that important if season 5 ever gets wrapped up at all. The brand is more popular and iron-hot than ever. As of now, a second season of "1923" is on the way, the "1883" spinoff "Lawmen: Bass Reeves" will premiere on Paramount+ in November, with "6666" airing on Paramount Network.