Yellowstone Season 5 Follows The Unfortunate Path of GoT's Season 8
TV shows age and evolve throughout the course of their run.
The first season is designed to enthrall and hook viewers into craving more. Then, if a series is fortunate enough, it enjoys subsequent seasons before ultimately reaching the conclusion. In the past, we've seen some TV shows that got better with age as well as those which suffered with each passing season.
Unfortunately, Yellowstone is an example of a show that is trending in the wrong direction. The new-age western continues to entice viewers in massive numbers yet hasn't garnered the same critical reception. In fact, according to some audience members, the current – fifth season of Yellowstone – is on par with some of the other biggest TV disappointments of all time, like the eighth season of Game of Thrones .
It's not a good comparison considering that season 8 of Game of Thrones ranks among the worst and least satisfying seasons in history of modern TV, especially regarding all the hype leading up to the final season. Thus, connecting Yellowstone to GoT is not the type of comparison John Dutton and family want to resonate with audiences.
However, that's precisely the company Yellowstone finds itself keeping these days, at least when you ask Redditors.
The final season of GoT ignited a heatwave of controversy, largely because fans felt like the creative decisions and reduced length contributed to an unsatisfying finale.
Sadly, many on Reddit feel like Yellowstone is no different with each passing season getting worse than the previous edition. "[The show] is so dumb but so entertaining at the same time," one poster lamented. Meanwhile, several others noted the poor writing in season 5 which, according to one user, has transformed the series into nothing more than "a soap opera for right-wingers".
Nonetheless, some fans debate that the writing was never the primary achievement of the show, thus the latest season hasn't digressed that much from previous installments. As one Redditor indicated, it's the same Jamie and the same Beth audiences have known (and despised) since season one.
Therefore, the new season of Yellowstone isn't really all that different aside from less action and more guaranteed boredom.
Despite the large volume of posts on Reddit dedicated to hating Yellowstone, not everyone agrees with the assessment. Some still tune in because the scenery is breathtaking, or the fact that John always seems "wise and cool." Regardless, ditching the associations with the final season of GoT (and other shows, like Dallas) is a work in progress for a TV series accused of jumping the shark and "milking it."
In the end, the argument that season 5 of Yellowstone is unnecessary, is valid. There are plenty of reasons why the modern western could have concluded after the fourth season. Nevertheless, as the series chases another payday and force-feeds another season, fans are left to suffer.
As one Redditor summarized, "[Every season of the show is the] same storylines, same plot… just slightly different cowboy s**t."