While all of these elements may feel familiar to anyone that’s seen a western movie or series before, the lens through which each of them is explored tends to vary from the traditional route. In many ways, the series brings a more modern and more inclusive approach to western storytelling, technically making it a neo-western.
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The series follows the Dutton family as they fight to maintain their land from the outsiders that close in on it and as they learn to grow as a family through their struggles. Though the show follows the lives of this particular family, it also weaves in the insight of those living in their environment, which brings a wider range of perspectives than westerns of the past. The greatest examples of this can be seen through the female characters in the story and through the Native American characters, who both have a stronger, more positive influence on the story than these groups usually did in past westerns. Of course, the series is still written by a white male, but his intentions were to be respectful to each of these groups and to explore them in a narrative that’s more honest and positive than the way they’ve traditionally been captured in western storylines.
The inclusion of these commonly ignored perspectives allows the show to cater to a broader audience than just the traditional white, male viewers of westerns. That, paired with the adventure and action of the show, enables it to appeal to many demographics, which is certainly a strong contributing factor to the show’s intense popularity. In fact, the series has been so popular that it’s even been able to compete for viewers against Sunday Night Football.
Seeing how popular the series has grown to be, fans might be surprised to learn that Yellowstone was originally only supposed to be one season long. In part, this is because makers knew that with location and horses, the costs for creating the series would be considerably high. Fortunately, writer and director, Taylor Sheridan, requested almost complete control over the creation process (which he was actually quite qualified for) and it paid off tremendously.
Another detail that fans have noted as being what pulled them into the show is its impressive plot– again, illustrating just how qualified Sheridan is for the job. The show examines several themes, all of which always reflect the human experience and how fragile or tough that can be. It points out that there is no one answer for the human experience and it’s full of changes, moral choices, and different experiences.
Even the characters and how they were cast has been attributed with the success of the series. Kevin Costner has acted in several westerns and has even directed some, which certainly speaks to his ability to perfect his role, and as fans have seen, he does perfect it. Several other notable actors play the other Dutton characters, like Kelly Reilly, and Wes Bentley. Even the characters outside the main family are played by impressive actors like Gil Birmingham, Jen Landon, and Q’orianka Kilcher.
Of course, with such popularity, any show is bound to experience positive and negative reactions, just as Yellowstone has. Among its positive reactions, the show has been praised for its realistic character dynamics. Certainly what draws us to the characters in a show is how believable or relatable they are, which is commonly captured through their interactions with other characters. Additionally, the series has been praised for its cause and effect approach to the plot points. All the character’s decisions and actions have a consequence, and it’s not always a good one, reminding the audience that the same rules apply to the reality that we live in.
Some of the negative reactions to the show, on the other hand, are often tied to how the more diverse characters are represented or how seemingly unnecessary some of the violence in the series is. Despite being stronger than many female characters from previous westerns are depicted, the female characters still tend to be sexualized and are sometimes used as a support system for the male characters. Further, there has been some criticism from members of various Native American tribes that feel that Sheridan should have done more to be sure that he was not insensitive to how he portrayed certain ceremonies or indigenous ideologies. In terms of the violence, there is certainly a lot that was included in the series to cater to a certain audience and probably could have just as easily been left out.
However, what both the positives and negatives have in common, is that they can be used to improve upon the show’s franchise. The series has already had a number of spin-off series and has plans to make more, so all of these concerns and beloved qualities can still be appropriately addressed. As Yellowstone has already proven, it plans to be around for some years to come and if it continues to aim to be a neo-western series that is appropriate for a broad audience in the modern day, it will likely continue to improve.
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