Would-be Yellowstone fans who haven’t been able to watch on Paramount Network or Peacock issued a resounding “Yeehaw!” when on July 17 CBS announced that, come fall, it would be airing the hit Western starting with its very first episode. Until now, the only drama they’ve been able to follow was the one surrounding Kevin Costner’s alleged disputes over his workload on the back half of the show’s fifth — and now final — season.
But — and, oh yes, there is a but — some changes are going to have to be made.
The series, which launched Taylor Sheridan’s mega-successful franchise and seems to spawn a spinoff every other month, can’t possibly be turned loose on broadcast television unedited. That would be the equivalent of offering a seat at a tea party to Kelly Reilly’s human wrecking ball, Beth Dutton. The show is sure to still be wild and crazy, down and dirty, just maybe… you know, a little bit less so.
What is likeliest to end up on the cutting-room floor — or would th at be the recutting
F-Bombs Away
Some poor CBS censor is all but guaranteed to get finger strain from pushing the “bleep” button over and over (and over!) to remove Yellowstone’s many four-letter words. They are so abundant, the show could just as easily have been titled This Is Cuss.
Time’s Up
Network dramas tend to clock in at about 42 minutes per episode. Yellowstone‘s have run as short as 37 and as long as 92. So, either CBS is going to make exceptions, allowing programming to start/end at odd times, or something’s gonna have to give.
Bare Necessities
Considering that Yellowstone is freer with nudity than CBS would ever be, some skin-toned pixelating is store — perhaps like what Peacock did in order to safely upload Beth’s Season 1 bath to YouTube. (Take a peek in the clipfest above.)
Violence Doesn’t Solve Anything
Yellowstone wouldn’t be Yellowstone without its shoot-’em-ups and beatdowns. But some of its more extreme moments — i.e, the Beck brothers’ Season 2 assault of Beth, Walker’s removal of Wade’s brand from his chest in Season 3 — may need… reconsidering.
Speaking in Tongues
It’s a running joke that the bunkhouse boys need a Teeter-to-English dictionary to understand a word that the marble-mouthed wrangler says. But for CBS’ audience, it might not be a bad idea to just go ahead and give her subtitles.
Saddle Upgrade
As majestic as the horses are on Yellowstone, we could do with less aimless riding around — certainly less than in Season 4, when every other episode seemed to include a montage of fancy hoofwork. On second thought, maybe this one is less a change that will be needed to bring the show to CBS and more just, ya know, one that will be wanted.