It’s been almost two years since the wildly popular modern Western drama Yellowstone last aired an episode. Season 5, Part 1 concluded with the 7th episode in December 2022. Episode 8 releases today.

That’s a damn long wait, y’all. I’m allowed to write sentences like that because I’m from where this show takes place: Bozeman, Montana, born and raised. It’s where I rode my first horse, although I haven’t done any bronco riding and I can’t do a lasso to save my life. I can hit the side of a barn with a gun, but I’m no John Dutton.

In fact, that is “no John Dutton”. actually, because Kevin Costner will not appear in this half-season of the series. The show’s movie star and filmmaker had a highly publicized dispute with mega-producer Taylor Sheridan over the amount of time he needed to be on set. Costner was – and still is – busy making his epic four-part western film series Horizon: an American saga, and his attention was too divided to remain part of the Yellowstone melodrama.

(I quite liked it Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, and I’m excited to see Chapter 2 later this year).

Forbes‘Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1’ review – Kevin Costner’s sprawling western is flawed but still greatBy means of Erik Cain

Anyway, the Dutton family story continues tonight at 8pm ET on Paramount Network and at 10pm ET on CBS (a special).

The big “catch” in the title of this post is that it is the only way to see unless you wait months later for the streaming release on Peacock. That’s not entirely true. You can also buy the season on Prime Video and watch episodes online early. But the only way to keep up with Beth (Kelly Reilly), Rip (Cole Hauser), Kayce (Luke Grimes), Monica (Kelsey Asbille), Jamie (Wes Bentley), Jimmy (Jefferson White) and the rest of the vast world cast of cowboys and their opponents, will have traditional cable television.

Are you watching? Yellowstone still? I know many fans have been unhappy with the show’s trajectory over the past few seasons, but it remains a wildly popular soap opera (I call it a soap opera as I thought Sons of anarchy to be a soap opera, but you may not agree with that). Let me know your opinion TweetInstagram or Facebook. Also subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.

For more shows and movies this weekend, check out my weekend streaming guide. Netflix also just dropped the final season of one of its best shows, although it’s about as different Yellowstone as you can get.