The newly released Yellowstone sequel series Dutton Ranch attracted 12.9 million views within seven days of its premiere, making it the biggest launch ever for Paramount Plus.
According to viewership data from Paramount Plus reported by Variety, the performance of the first two episodes surpassed the previous record holder, Mobland, which debuted with 8.8 million viewers.
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Audience Reception and Critical Response
The new television series, created by Taylor Sheridan, follows characters Beth and Rip as they relocate to a farmstead in southern Texas after a wildfire destroys their Montana ranch, where they face conflicts with local criminals.
Audience reception has outpaced the final season of the original show, with the sequel currently holding an 88% critic rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.
Viewers shared their reactions to the new series on the online forum Reddit, detailing their experiences with the initial episodes.
"I got up at 1:45 am to watch," wrote Jalynt13, a user on Reddit.
The viewer expressed satisfaction with the early morning viewing, noting that the spin-off maintained a specific character-driven focus compared to its predecessor.
"It was well worth it. It definitely has the Yellowstone vibe.
It's like they took all the great scenes from Yellowstone in this show. Whereas Yellowstone was more about the land, I think this is more character-driven," added Jalynt13.
Other viewers on the platform echoed these positive sentiments regarding the quality of the premiere.
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"My wife and I watched both episodes yesterday afternoon, and we were both blown away.
We are both pretty disappointed with how Yellowstone turned out, as well as 1923," wrote Prex10, a user on Reddit.
Another commentator noted that their initial expectations were exceeded despite their disappointment with how the original franchise concluded.
"With Yellowstone ending as it did, I wasn't expecting much from this," wrote Junior-Dust-6290, a user on Reddit.
The user concluded that the opening episodes captured the atmosphere of the early seasons of the original franchise.
"I'll be honest, though, it was pretty solid. Gave me the old feel I got when I started watching Yellowstone.
Not perfect, but good and potential to get better," added Junior-Dust-6290.
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The first three episodes of Dutton Ranch are currently available for streaming on the Paramount Plus platform.
