‘Yellowstone’ Fans Blast CBS’ Heavily Censored Version of Streaming Hit

Yellowstone made its network debut on Sunday, September 17, helping to fill a gap in CBS‘ fall schedule while the WGA and SAG strikes continue, but the show’s fans were less than impressed.

The neo-Western drama series created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson is airing from the very beginning on CBS in the slot that would usually be reserved for fresh content. But because of network restrictions, the episodes look a little different than their original airings on Paramount+.

After airing the Season 1 premiere on Sunday night, which introduces the Dutton family for the first time, fans took to social media to air their frustrations with the censored broadcast.

“Curious to see how @CBS edits out the profanity in @Yellowstone,” one fan tweeted before Sunday’s broadcast.

“If your new and watching #yellowstone, don’t watch,” wrote one fan on Twitter/X. “They edited out too many funny scenes and kept all the legal drama. The @cbs version is missing the barnyard scenes with the workers.”

“Way to go CBS for editing Yellowstone, so what you gonna do edit and censor 3/4 of the show now,” said another viewer. “Why does this country continue to censor shows and songs on the radio when kids now these days watch and listen to music that has every word you can think of.”

If your new and watching #yellowstone, don’t watch. They edited out too many funny scenes and kept all the legal drama. The @cbs version is missing the barnyard scenes with the workers.

— uneek (@uneekg) September 18, 2023

Way to go CBS for editing Yellowstone, so what you gonna do edit and censor 3/4 of the show now. Why does this country continue to censor shows and songs on the radio when kids now these days watch and listen to music that has every word you can think of.

— Brad Dollahite (@admiralbrad1031) September 18, 2023

“That was a quick love scene lol” wrote another commenter in regards to an edited sex scene, while one fan said, “Already cut to bits.”

“Nobody is excited about watered down reruns. Negotiate a fair deal and bring back television before you lose all of your viewers,” wrote another fan over on Instagram.

That was a quick love scene lol

— El Padre (@EL_Padre_454) September 18, 2023

Already cut to bits

— *The* Lu 👀 CBE🐈‍⬛️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇨🇦 (@lufflyLu) September 18, 2023

So, what changes did CBS make to the premiere? According to The Wrap, it was mostly removing the F-bombs and other explicit language. The most noticeable edits involved Kelly Reilly‘s Beth Dutton, whose disrobing scene with Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) appeared to be digitally altered (her robe never opens in the CBS version).

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But the sex scene that follows remained in the show, though it was reframed so as not to show Reilly’s bare breasts.

The rest of the two-hour episode played out relatively the same, including the show’s frequent violence. The opening scene of Kevin Costner‘s John Dutton putting a bullet through the head of his injured horse remained intact.

A representative from CBS told CountryLiving.com that some changes had to be made to meet the network’s Broadcast Standards, “but they are minor and the integrity of the original series will be preserved.” The network also claimed it would not use automated dialogue replacement, instead simply muting the curse words.

Part 2 of the show’s fifh and final season is currently on hold due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes.

Yellowstone, Reruns, Sundays,  8/7c, CBS