Peacock has finally dropped the first eight episodes of the fifth and final season of Yellowstone, nearly five full months after season 5, episode 8 of the mega-hit Montana-set, ultra-violent primetime sudser debuted on the linear Paramount Network back in early January.
With the season 5 premiere delivering 12.1 million viewers via live and encore runs across Paramount cable channels Paramount Plus, CMT, TV Land and Pop, the Taylor Sheridan-produced melodrama is currently the most popular scripted show in the linear broadcast and cable universe.
And in what has to rank as one of the worst strategic decisions of the streaming video era, Paramount licensed exclusive U.S. subscription streaming rights for the series to Peacock in early 2020, a year before it launched subscription streaming rival Paramount Plus.
By the time Sheridan launched his two hit Yellowstone prequels, 1883 and 1923, as well as two other successful series, Mayor of Kingstown and Tulsa King, Paramount got wise and kept the shows' streaming rights for Paramount Plus.
In the interim, Peacock is still experiencing the biggest boon since the Montana land grab.
With Yellowstone star Kevin Costner engaging in a well-reported public feud with Sheridan and the production team, Yellowstone will wind down with the ongoing production of season 5, volume 2, which still doesn't have a linear premiere date on Paramount cable networks.
Paramount plans to sunset Costner's Yellowstone and relaunch the modern-day edge of the Yellowstone Cinematic Universe in the construct of a new series, reportedly starring Matthew McConaghy. That series will almost undoubtedly stream on Paramount Plus.
But Peacock will also get those final eight season 5 episodes from the original Costner Yellowstone, whenever it is they're finally ready to drop.
