5 Years Later, 1 Major Mistake Still Haunts Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Universe (& It Did Irreparable Damage)

Yellowstone is one of the most popular franchises in the modern era of television. Taylor Sheridan’s 2018 neo-Western series grew to be wildly successful during its five-season run, captivating audiences everywhere with the turbulent tale of the Dutton family as they fight to maintain control of their beautiful ranch in rural Montana. The series spawned numerous spinoffs and sequels, including 1883 and 1923, with many more on the way. Even after the main series’ conclusion, there is more Yellowstone to come in the form of several upcoming series.

While Yellowstone is undoubtedly a massive success, not everything in the franchise’s history went according to plan. One crucial mistake still haunts Taylor Sheridan’s television universe, potentially limiting its popularity by a significant margin. Five years ago, Paramount struck a deal with another major production company in hopes of expanding Yellowstone‘s horizons. Unfortunately, this five-year-old mistake still haunts the franchise to this day.

Yellowstone’s Confusing Streaming Rights, Explained

Yellowstone and Its Prequel Series Have Different Streaming Homes

Five years ago, executives made a terrible mistake with Yellowstone that still haunts the franchise to this day. The series and its spinoffs are produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures, but due to the show’s lower ratings in its earlier seasons, were made available on NBC’s streaming service Peacock in 2020. Thereafter, all seasons of Yellowstone were released exclusively to stream on Peacock. Paramount’s own streaming service, Paramount+, didn’t launch until March of 2021. When Paramount+ launched, however, it was legally unable to stream Yellowstone, which had risen in popularity by that time to become one of the studio’s biggest properties. Ironically, the series that could have been a major marketing tool for Paramount+ was exclusively available on a competing streaming service.

To complicate matters further, Paramount’s deal with NBC divided the Yellowstone universe just as it was beginning to expand. The flagship 2018 series is available to stream only on Peacock, whereas all Yellowstone spinoffs are exclusive to Paramount+. As such, viewers wanting to catch up on all the series in Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western series cannot do so with one streaming service alone. To watch everything in the Yellowstone franchise, one needs a subscription to both Paramount+ and Peacock. This has understandably caused confusion among fans, who wonder why the Yellowstone franchise can’t have a singular streaming home. However, with the success of each series under the Yellowstone banner, it is unlikely that Paramount+ or Peacock will ever give any of them up. Five years later, Paramount certainly regrets ever selling the streaming rights to Yellowstone.

Why Yellowstone’s Complicated Streaming Rights Hurt the Franchise

Yellowstone Fans Can’t Binge the Entire Franchise In One Place

Ultimately, the streaming deal hurt the Yellowstone franchise and Paramount+, perhaps beyond repair. In 2022, Paramount Global president Bob Bakish called the deal with Peacock “unfortunate” during a meeting with investors. The series, which steadily climbed to become one of the most popular television shows, wasn’t a clear hit in its early years, leaving Paramount comfortable with selling its streaming rights. Its continued popularity and critical acclaim in later seasons quickly left Paramount remorseful about this decision, recognizing that it would only be doing Peacock favors as it grew in success. Unfortunately, the ramifications of this deal weren’t just painful for Paramount but for the larger franchise as well.

Yellowstone stunted its own popularity as a result of its unusual streaming deal. Casual fans who enjoy Yellowstone on Peacock may not even be aware of its two prequel series over on Paramount+. Likewise, audiences hoping to watch 1883 and 1923 on Paramount+ may not be able to (or, in some cases, even know about) Yellowstone. The franchise synergy that proves so lucrative for studios these days isn’t present for Yellowstone, quelling whatever popularity the show may have. As successful as they are now, it is impossible to tell how much more successful Yellowstone‘s shows would be if they all shared a singular streaming home. To complicate matters further, the fifth season of Yellowstone aired new episodes on the Paramount network, but the new additions weren’t available on Peacock until much later. Now, all five seasons of Yellowstone are available in one place, but streaming-exclusive fans had to navigate months without having the show spoiled for them. In summation, the Yellowstone streaming deal is one big mistake after another, each hurting the franchise more than the one before.

What’s Next for the Yellowstone Franchise?

Yellowstone’s Future Could Reflect a New Streaming Plan

Despite its streaming difficulties, the Yellowstone franchise is still going strong. The flagship series ended after five seasons, one year shorter than the original plan due to Kevin Costner’s mid-season exit. Nevertheless, certain dropped storylines from the planned sixth season are expected to be adapted in two upcoming sequel series. The first of these, Dutton Ranch, will explore the continuing adventures of Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler as they start a new ranch in rural Montana. The second, Y: Marshalls, will follow in the footsteps of the procedural genre, depicting Kayce Dutton’s career as the Livestock Commissioner. Both series are expected to have an exclusive streaming home on Paramount+, given that Peacock only has a claim to the original series.

Michelle Pfeiffer is also confirmed to be leading an all-new Yellowstone spinoff entitled The Madison. The series will take a departure from the melodrama of the Dutton family to follow the lives and adventures of the Clyburns, a wealthy family from New York City who move to rural Montana after a devastating accident robs them of their patriarch. Other rumored spinoffs include 6666, a series that will take place on the Four Sixes Ranch in Fort Worth, Texas, and 1944, a sequel to 1923 following Brandon Sklenar’s Spencer Dutton as he navigates a world ravaged by World War II.

Despite the struggles that the franchise has faced when it comes to streaming, Yellowstone is still wildly popular today. While the original series seems locked in at Peacock, its conclusion means that all future series are exclusive to Paramount+.