Paramount Network is the home to Kevin Costner’s hit Western Yellowstone, and the original broadcaster of the miniseries Waco. The latter premiered on Paramount Network in January 2018 and accordingly ran over several weeks. More than two years later, the six-part series is now experiencing new popularity since it has begun streaming on Netflix.
Thanks to the streamer’s new most popular feature, subscribers know that Waco is the #6 show on Netflix in the United States at the time of this writing. The Paramount Network original certainly seems like the kind of show that Netflix would have created as an original, but, interestingly, one of Waco's stars is Ozark’s Julia Garner, who plays Ruth on the streamer's popular crime drama. Maybe this is one of the reasons Netflix viewers have taken to the series so well.
Waco portrays the true story of the tragic 1993 standoff that took place between the David Koresh-led Branch Davidians, the FBI, and the ATF. It all unfolded in Waco, Texas, and the series is based, in part, on the book A Place Called Waco, which was co-written by Waco survivor David Thibodeau. His character is played Rory Culkin in the drama.
Ahead of its initial release, Waco’s creators revealed that David Thibodeau had been integral in the dramatization. Friday Night Lights’ Taylor Kitsch stars as David Koresh, and he underwent a lot of prep for the role. Speaking of Kitsch, how amazing would he be on Yellowstone? Someone make this casting happen!
Waco’s newfound popularity comes well after it originally aired. And, this is a trend that Netflix is known to bring about for shows that haven't previously gotten much attention. It recently gave an added boost to the still-airing CW series, All-American. I can only imagine how much more popular Yellowstone would be if it were streaming on the giant, but it is actually headed to NBCUniversal’s upcoming service, Peacock, instead.
Yellowstone and Waco both premiered in the same year on Paramount Network (2018), marking a strong start to the network’s scripted slate. Waco debuted first, with it starting towards the very beginning of the year and running over six weeks, while Yellowstone arrived later that summer in June. The drama is, accordingly, set to return this year for its third season in that same month.
Both series mark Paramount Network’s strong inroads into the scripted drama arena. The network itself launched on January 18, 2018, making Waco one of its first significant series under the new banner. Yellowstone would cement its presence, and with two seasons under its belt buckle, the already-renewed series is gearing up for a much-anticipated third round of drama, back-stabbing and scandal.
You can currently stream Waco on Netflix. It is among the many TV series that has debuted on the streaming giant during 2020. As for Yellowstone, the hit drama is set to return for its third season as one of this summer’s premieres on Sunday, June 21.
