Remember When ‘Yellowstone’ Premiered?
A shade under three million people tuned in for the Yellowstone premiere four years ago Monday (June 20). In 2018, very little was known about the show, the storyline or the Montana landscape the Dutton family would explore. Most were tuning in to see Kevin Costner's latest project.
That's not the case any longer. The Season 4 finale of Yellowstone on the Paramount Network brought 9.3 million viewers to their televisions to find out how the season-long tension between Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) and his birth father Garrett Randal (Will Patton) would resolve. We won't spoil that here, except to say it's all going to make for a fascinating Dutton family dynamic once Season 5 begins in November.
Critics were a bit cool on Season 1 of Yellowstone, especially in comparison to the subsequent three seasons, each of which earned rave reviews. While the acting and Montana scenery in Season 1 was applauded, the drama was scrutinized as being over the top.
In 2022, nothing about the show has changed — in fact, one could argue that creator Taylor Sheridan has only pressed the pedal down harder on the violence and drama. The show's pull relies on the motives of each character becoming more clear, a fascinating tension between good and evil and larger explorations of the west, Native American culture and ranching.
Two Yellowstone prequels have been born from the original show, making the franchise among the most successful on television and streaming services today. 1883 earned positive reviews for its gritty portrayal of the 19th century trek from Texas to Oregon. 1932 will premiere later this year and promises the most star-studded cast yet: Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren have signed on, with additional cast to be announced.
Taste of Country covers it all with the Dutton Rules podcast, available above or wherever great podcasts are found.