Yellowstone Has Never Lived Up to the Promise of Its First Season
Yellowstone has emerged as the top show on television. The last couple of seasons have shattered a lot of viewership records as the neo-western has become incredibly popular. However, there are old-school fans of the original season that argue Yellowstone has never lived up to the promise of its first season.
When Yellowstone first premiered in 2018, it was a considerable risk. Westerns, even modern versions, are notoriously expensive to produce because of shooting on location and other factors. For this reason, there was no clear indication that Yellowstone would be successful.
However, signing on Kevin Costner to lead the cast was the first step in the right direction. Next, it was up to the creative team to write something dramatic yet original from other westerns of the past. The writers crafted a special first season as many critics agree it's one of the best debuts in quite some time.
The story, which revolves around the Dutton family, owners of the largest ranch in Montana (Yellowstone Dutton Ranch), features a variety of unusual elements. The lead character, John Dutton, is a widowed sixth-generation patriarch of the ranch. He's not only threatened by a series of groups seeking to take control of his land but also issues back home. As a result, much of the action and drama in Yellowstone revolves around money, greed, and family.
While Yellowstone has continued to get more popular with each passing season, not everyone agrees that the series is also improving creatively. For starters, Yellowstone has become visibly flashier as the prestige of the show has evolved. The result in newer seasons is bigger and louder, but also more ridiculous. For some fans, it feels like Yellowstone is devolving into a high-budget soap opera.
Perhaps the disappointment with the later seasons of Yellowstone is that the expectations were set so high after a terrific season one run. It's true, having an outstanding debut can also lead to failing to reach expectations in the future. The precedent is set high.
As one Redditor summarized, "I really thought [Yellowstone] was going to be something very different [from other shows on TV.]"
For example, the distance between the characters John and Kayce (Luke Grimes) is noteworthy in the first season. The hurt and angst between the father and son were cleverly written into the show and relatable to plenty of audience members. It hit home for audiences that could relate to dysfunctional relationships in the family. There was also hope that Kayce and JD's relationship would slowly develop and evolve. Instead, the sudden repair seemed forced and detoured the unique angle Yellowstone was addressing in regard to family issues.
Then, of course, there is always disagreements between Yellowstone fans over how the Duttons acquired their land. It's one of the more controversial elements of the show, once again intertwining Kayce, since he previously lived on the Broken Rock Reservation, with his indigenous wife and son. For some, that made the Duttons even more unlikeable and thus more willing to tune out of future episodes.
Despite the complaints, Yellowstone remains extremely popular with its highly anticipated season five, 2-hour event set to premiere on November 13. You can catch all episodes, past and present, on Paramount.