‘Yellowstone’ Premiere’s Major Death, Explained

‘Yellowstone’ made its broadcast debut on CBS, and a Dutton family member was already killed off.

September 19, 2023, 3:09pm

"Daybreak" – Academy Award winner Kevin Costner stars as John Dutton, patriarch of a Montana ranching family and owner of the largest ranch in the U.S. It's the story of Dutton's fight to defend his land and his family from the modern-day forces that threaten his way of life, as the critically acclaimed Paramount Network series YELLOWSTONE kicks off its broadcast run, Sunday, Sept. 17 (8:30 – 10:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and will stream live on Paramount+ with Showtime. Pictured (L-R): Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler and Kevin Costner as John Dutton. Photo: Emerson Miller for Paramount

Yellowstone, and it already included a major death. While the Neo-Western drama premiered on Paramount Network in 2018, the series only just had its broadcast premiere. This means that those who might not have had the privilege to watch the series were finally able to. And they were met with a lot of action and even some heartbreak so early into the series, as one Dutton family member didn’t survive the first episode.

In the premiere episode of Yellowstone, “Daybreak,” viewers were introduced to the Dutton family. Headed by Montana rancher John Dutton, the family also consists of his kids: Lee, Jamie, Beth, and Kayce. Things don’t start off great for John as he gets tangled up with a developer who plans to build a town, which would impact the ranch. After John has it blown up, the family runs into even more problems. John sends ranch hand Lee and his hands to retrieve some of his cattle that had wandered off the reservation.

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“Daybreak” – Academy Award winner Kevin Costner stars as John Dutton, patriarch of a Montana ranching family and owner of the largest ranch in the U.S. It’s the story of Dutton’s fight to defend his land and his family from the modern-day forces that threaten his way of life, as the critically acclaimed Paramount Network series YELLOWSTONE kicks off its broadcast run, Sunday, Sept. 17 (8:30 – 10:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and will stream live on Paramount+ with Showtime. Pictured (L-R): Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler and Kevin Costner as John Dutton. Photo: Emerson Miller for Paramount

Unfortunately, they ran into the Broken Rock Police, who were more than ready to fight. Lee is fatally shot by Robert, the brother of estranged prodigal son Kayce’s wife, Monica. Kayce, trying to protect his brother, fatally shoots Robert. It is a messy and fatal fight that will surely change the Dutton family moving forward. It all cements the kind of show that Yellowstone is. Not to mention how bold it is for starting off the way it did. There’s a reason the series has been able to go for five seasons, and it is still doing as well as ever.

Fans are going to be in for a wild ride. Yellowstone will continue to air on CBS for the network’s fall 2023 schedule. So for those that have waited a while to watch the series, the wait will be well worth it. Since there currently isn’t a premiere date for the second half of Season 5, it also give veteran fans a chance to rewatch the series from the beginning if they don’t want to do a big rewatch, that is. Yellowstone, drawing in 6.56 million viewers.

If this continues, Yellowstone could be permanently syndicated on CBS, at least through next year. It probably depends on what next year will look like with the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes as midseason schedules near. In the meantime, fans can look forward to Yellowstone airing on Sundays on CBS.