Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone” is finally a major television awards contender after four seasons thanks to the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards. The family western drama is nominated in the top category of ensemble in a television drama alongside “Succession,” “Squid Game,” “The Morning Show” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The nomination is the first major awards recognition for “Yellowstone,” which up until now only boasted one Creative Arts Emmys nomination for production design for a narrative contemporary program (one hour or more). “Yellowstone” was also nominated at the American Society of Cinematography awards in 2019 for cinematography in a regular series for commercial television.
“There’s no bigger compliment to an actor than being recognized by their peers. Congratulations to our incredibly talented cast on this wonderful and well deserved nomination,” series co-creator Taylor Sheridan said in a statement.
While “Yellowstone” broke into the ensemble TV race, its performers did not receive individual nominations in the acting categories. The show, created by “Hell or High Water” and “Sicario” screenwriter Sheridan and John Linson, boasts an ensemble cast that includes Kevin Costner, Wes Bentley, Kelly Reilly, Luke Grimes, Cole Hauser and Gil Birmingham.
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The SAG nomination for “Yellowstone” arrived after the show recently wrapped up its 10-episode fourth season with record ratings. The Season 4 finale nabbed 10 million total watchers per Nielsen time-adjusted Live+Same Day stats. Viewership was up 81% compared to the Season 4 finale. Approximately 9.3 million watchers that tuned in were on Paramount Network alone, making it one of the biggest series on television. The finale amassed 10.3 million viewers between the Paramount Network and the Country Music Television simulcasts.
“‘Yellowstone’ continues to shatter records…proving we’ve hit a cultural nerve— from the center of the country to each of the coasts —and still have lots of room to grow on linear,” said Chris McCarthy, President and CEO, ViacomCBS Media Networks, in a statement at the time. “Our strategy to franchise ‘Yellowstone’ into a universe of series to fuel growth for Paramount Plus is already exceeding expectations with ‘1883’ and ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ proving to be two of the top titles.”
“Yellowstone” will return for a fifth season. Read more about “Yellowstone” breaking into the awards race in our exclusive interview with executive producer David Glasserin. Winners of the 2022 SAG Awards will be announced February 27.
