Yellowstone Has Gone From Must-See TV to Must-Miss Disaster
The new season of Yellowstone is arguably the most successful in franchise history. Season five episodes have generated more than 12 million viewers as the neo-western continues to dominate TV ratings. Yet, with that in mind, many audience members are adamant that Yellowstone is trending in the wrong direction.
In fact, some viewers argue that Yellowstone has gone from must-see TV to must-miss disaster and that it tries its best at "jumping the shark".
The phrase "jumping the shark" is an older reference that was originally coined in an episode of Happy Days. During an episode in the fifth season, the star character of the series – Fonzie (Henry Winkler) – is seen jumping over a shark while riding behind a boat on water skis. Since then, the idiom has been used to describe anything that is creating a stunt for publicity, especially regarding something that was once popular, but is no longer.
In other words, having Fonzie water ski over a shark was absolutely pointless and served no value to the story of Happy Days. Similarly, one could argue the same "jumping the shark" strategy is used in the most recent season of Yellowstone.
Yes, Yellowstone continues to thrive. The neo-western remains the most popular show on television. However, it's not nearly as critically-acclaimed as rival shows like Succession and House of the Dragon . Additionally, the most recent scores on Rotten Tomatoes reflect that the new seasons of Yellowstone are not as well received compared to the first few seasons. In fact, Yellowstone carries a tremendously low approval rating from audiences (only 22%). It leads Redditors to believe their recent criticism of season five is warranted.
For starters, Tulsa King has been off to a surprise start even if the show feasts off the crumbs of Yellowstone. The new crime drama starring Sylvester Stallone has the highest debut of any show this year. And viewers agree that Tulsa King is outperforming Yellowstone right now not without reason.
Then, there are pleas for Yellowstone to return to the ranch that made it famous. Season five is much more involved with politics as John Dutton becomes governor of Montana. Meanwhile, fans cannot stand Beth Dutton. It's evident that many audience members wouldn't lose sleep if the notorious offspring of John was removed from the show. The same is true of Monica Dutton, who has become more unpopular of late. Finally, audiences are divided on Jamie Dutton and Rip.
What makes the new season of Yellowstone such a disaster? According to fans, there is no easy solution. Beth continues to dominate screen time and much to the displeasure of fans. Then, there is the mysterious prophecy Kayce Dutton had in his "end of us" vision. In the end, creator Taylor Sheridan has delivered a muddled mess that is not rewarding audiences even if the show remains popular.