Of the 6.6 million people who watched the premiere of on CBS, half of them had never seen the Western drama series before. The Paramount Network original series has begun airing episodes weekly on CBS, starting from the very beginning of the show. The series has become the most popular show on Paramount Network, earning 8.19 million live viewers during its latest episode in January.
Now, reports that, of the 6.6 million viewers season 1, episode 1 drew in on CBS, half of them had never seen the show before. This means 3.3 million people were unfamiliar with the series before watching it on CBS. These new viewers could stick with the series until the end, perhaps even switching over to Paramount Network to watch when it airs.
Due to the ongoing actors strike – – CBS is airing because of no new primetime TV seasons this Fall. The number of new viewers that have seen the showindicates this decision has been a success. It also underscores that the series may have an audience beyond Paramount Network who want to watch the show.
The success of the series on CBS may also draw viewers toward currently available on Paramount+. This includes the prequel series and , and will soon include other prequels, such as . Two shows that take place after the flagship series are also in development, including a direct sequel starring Matthew McConaughey.
With the universe currently in the middle of a massive expansion, it makes sense for the show to continue branching out to draw more viewers in. However, due to the ongoing actors strike and tension between star Kevin Costner and creator Taylor Sheridan, it remains to be seen when the show will return. Given its popularity, though, it seems ironing out any issues will be of vital importance for the franchise’s future.
