Over 16 Million Viewers Watched The Highly Anticipated Return Of “Yellowstone”

Kacey Dutton and family on their new land

Yellowstone / YouTube

After A Long Wait, Yellowstone’s New Episode Has Finally Aired — Here’s What Critics And Fans Are Saying.

Yellowstone is back! Be warned this article contains spoilers. 

When Yellowstone first premiered in 2018, it garnered 2.8 million viewers. Season 5, part 1, aired in November of 2022 and hit a whopping 12.1 million viewers.

The steadily growing viewer count is only a taste of the show’s popularity. The series has accrued a massive cult following and a loyal fan base.

The television series has perplexed critics who initially gave Season 1 a 57% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Since its first season, the show has achieved remarkable success, with its third season peaking with an all-time high critic rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The show also scores high with user-based scoring systems like IMDB, which is currently sitting at 8.7/10.

Cole Hauser on the set of Yellowstone
Yellowstone / Facebook

RELATED: Cole Hauser Shares Details Of Rip Wheeler’s Journey In Season 5, Part 2 Of “Yellowstone”

Season 5, Part 2  Of Yellowstone Ratings

Season 5, Episode 9 of Yellowstone is currently the most viewed episode in the series, with a whopping 16.4 Million viewers. 

The mass of viewers could be because the first episode of part 2 revealed the fate of Kevin Costner’s character, John Dutton.

Additional ratings for the show are still coming in.

RELATED: “Yellowstone’” Returns After Almost Two Years – Full Episode Recap

Fans Reaction To Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2

The fans who responded to this first episode were all over the board.

Some loved how the show handled the fate of the series’ patriarch, although it was tragic. Others, however, were not pleased, thinking it was not a good way for John Dutton to go. Some even think it may be a red herring.

Here are reactions pulled from YouTube:

“Beth is a great actor”

“its changed so much already. Beth’s farrel [sic] screams at the end shot me into weeping i wasnt expecting. My heart hurt. FAK this show LMAO dammit”

“John Dutton deserved better!!! Its like the season 8 of The Game of Thrones!!!”

“Last night in an interviewwith Entertainment tonight, Kevin Cosner stated that “his death could be a “Red Herring, who knows”. Is John Dutton really dead or are we made to believe he’s dead?”

“This long of a break and this is what we get? Although Jamie just signed his death certificate”

“Absolutely epic episode. What a return.”

“Love the show before this last episode, and love it still. I can’t wait for the next episode.”

Only time will tell.. Watch the episode recap below.