As we count down the final days of June, there is still no word on when the fourth season of Paramount Network series “Yellowstone” will begin.
June is the month that most of us believed the new season of “Yellowstone” would premiere but it didn’t come to fruition. Many fans had June 20 as the likely starting date for new episodes of the modern western show. Given that last year’s Season 3 premiered on Father’s Day, there was reason to believe season four would follow suit.
Now, speculation on when the new season might begin has shifted to late summer. There is reason to believe the show’s producers do not want to compete in the ratings war against the Olympics. The summer games will kick off on July 26 and come to an end on August 8. It would be a wise move on the part of “Yellowstone” to avoid competition with the summer Olympics.
But pushing the season back to late summer or early fall also comes with its disadvantages. Of course, we all know what also returns during this time of the year — football. One of the National Football League’s top ratings grabber is their weekly Sunday night broadcast. The league typically selects two popular teams to compete on Sunday Night Football matchups in an effort to close strong in the ratings department. If “Yellowstone” chooses a later in the year premiere date, they could find themselves going head to head with the NFL.
‘Yellowstone’ Delay Could Present Challenges
If television watchers are forced to choose between “Yellowstone” and Sunday Night Football, then some tough decisions will have to be made. Since its debut, a couple of years ago, “Yellowstone” has been extremely popular and has built an impressive following. The already enormous fan base seems to be growing by the day as more people discover the hit show. It is easily the Paramount Network’s top-rated show and season four is expected to push those ratings even higher.
The NFL is the country’s most popular sports league, however, with a robust fan base of its own. A head-to-head matchup between the two ratings giants would be interesting to see unfold.
All of this is speculation though as we really don’t have a clue as to when “Yellowstone” will premiere its latest season. It might be wise of the show to avoid direct competition with the NFL though. Perhaps they could air new episodes during the week instead of on Sunday nights. That would certainly be a ploy to consider if they want a less competitive ratings battle. How would fans react to a weekday airing of the heavily popular drama series?
Either way, “Yellowstone” fans are hoping we get new episodes in the very near future.
