An Unlikely Choice Was Made About Where Fans Can Actually Watch 'Yellowstone'

Fans of the massively popular western drama Yellowstone are eagerly awaiting the fourth season and long-anticipated return of their favorite program. With rumors that the program may finally come back in summer 2021, it seems as though the moment everyone has been waiting for might be just on the horizon.

However, the recently rebranded Paramount Plus streaming network is experiencing a bit of a renaissance right now, and fans are also wondering if Yellowstone will be on Paramount Plus along with the rest of the network's hit programs. So, is the show fated to end up a part of the Paramount Plus archive, or are bigger plans in the works for it? Here's what we know.

Despite being Paramount Network's most successful program as of late, Yellowstone will seemingly not join the channel's rebranded streaming service. The entirety of the program is actually streaming on NBC's recently unveiled streaming network, Peacock. 

Surely the decision may seem confusing, especially considering Paramount Plus is home to virtually every other ViacomCBS and Showtime program. Peacock has somehow acquired exclusive streaming rights to Yellowstone, with the first season available (with intermittent advertisements) to free members, and the other two seasons streaming ad-free for paying subscribers.

The move to Peacock can only be attributed to an intra-network power play that must've amounted to some serious cash being exchanged. Although no dollar valuation has been disclosed, given the fact that it was pulling in 5.16 million viewers an episode at the tail end of Season 3, it can be assumed that the acquisition of streaming rights cost Peacock a substantial amount.

In order to fill the noticeably sizeable gap in their programming left by not including Yellowstone in the Paramount Plus lineup, the network has commissioned show creator Taylor Sheridan to come up with two new programs that will seek to occupy the space that Yellowstone once did for them.

Thanks to a recent teaser from Paramount, fans now know to expect a prequel series to Yellowstone called Y:1883. Although the barely 11-second-long clip leaves much to be desired, the network elaborated that the show will indeed be a prequel focusing on the origin story of the Dutton Family. Slated to premiere sometime in 2021, the network hasn't shared much more than that and an image of a snow-capped signpost as part of their short teaser video.

Although there's barely any information currently out about Y:1883, its sister program, tentatively titled 6666 after an area of land in West Texas that was ruled by the Comanche Native American tribe, has even less known details circulating. There's literally nothing known about it yet aside from its title and the connotation it bears, and fans will simply have to wait for more to come out, as well as a tentative release date.