There, I said it. I never really liked Kevin Costner much. Even in 'Dances with Wolves' he didn't impress me, even though the movie in itself was beautiful. I don't know what it is, but it is what it is.
So when I first saw Yellowstone being announced, a few years ago, I had no interest in watching it. At all.
So what has changed?
Keep reading, and I will tell you!
And especially for my friend @bil.prag, I will add that, other than some in-depth look into some of the characters, there won't be any spoilers...
My Encounter with Yellowstone
So it happened one day that the kids were all miraculously asleep at an early enough hour, and it was raining. I didn't feel like doing much on the PC, and thought I'd watch something on Netflix.
But everything I clicked on didn't feel like something I was into at that moment.
And then Yellowstone popped up.
My initial thought was 'Kevin Costner...meh. But I love horses and ranches, and well, I used to tell people I'd retire in Montana or Wyoming one day...Yellowstone covers both those areas. So why not give it a go?"
Yes, I know, my way of thinking is weird sometimes. But it is what it is.
Yellowstone did have great reviews.
So I turned on Yellowstone, and it totally caught me off-guard. I was expecting this sappy family movie type of thing that you see on the Hallmark channel, but I couldn't be more pleasantly surprised! Right from the very first episode there's action. This action really takes off from episode two on, but it only took one episode to have me hooked.
Even Kevin Costner became more likeable to me. However, his daughter Beth (played brilliantly by the English actress Kelly Reilly) is my all time favorite. She seems like the ultimate bitch boss at first, but later the series explains more about her in depth, and you'll understand where all this bitchiness comes from. I absolutely love Beth! She's my new hero.
Then second, I adore Rip. The actor who portrays him is Cole Hauser, who some might know from movies like 'Dazed and Confused', '2 Fast 2 Furious' and some others. However, by god, you will not recognize him in this. I recently watched Dazed and Confused with my son, and I almost fell off my chair. They made him into the ultimate rancher for Yellowstone, and it really suits him.
I am usually not the beard type of gal, but he struck a nerve...
The third character I really love is Beth's brother Cayce. He's just very sweet but with a not so sweet undertone when it comes to the family business. He captured my heart from the very first moment.
Then there are some side-characters that really did an amazing job, and one of them is Jimmy, played by a reasonably unknown actor: Jefferson White. Jimmy is very likeable, and you'll love to see him grow throughout the series. Apparently, the producers of the series loved him so much that they have him cast for another Yellowstone spin-off.
Another good character is Teeter, who is played by Jen Landon. She's also known for her long time role in the soap series 'As the World Turns' but she's also the daughter of no other than Michael Landon. You know, the nice father in Little House on the Prairie. Everyone my age and older has watched that at some stage...She looks just like him!
Creators John Linson and Taylor Sheridan
Linson is known for Sons of Anarchy. Among others.
Taylor shows up in the series in a minor role, and from the moment I saw him, he looked familiar.
So I did a little search, and turned out that he was in Sons of Anarchy. I already saw a small resemblance to the series, so this confirmed that feeling for me.
But not only that, he is the co-producer and writer of Yellowstone and all its spin-offs.
After a little more digging, I found out that he actually bought the 6666 Ranch or Four Sixes Ranch in Texas, where parts of the series were filmed. This ranch isn't just any ranch!
It stretches over 142,372 acres approximately. This is about 225 square miles and it measures ca. 20 miles by 12 miles source. And it's not even the largest ranch in Texas!
Taylor paid a whopping 320 million for the ranch, and it was the first time it was for sale ever, since it was family owned for 150 years. Sheridan had some investors, and he made the spin-offs just for the purpose of pumping some extra cash into his venture. 320 million isn't nothing!
And now I have a visit to the 6666 ranch on my bucket list!
Anyway, to me, Sheridan is an absolute genius. He did an amazing job with Yellowstone.
So much so, that I started looking for any of his other work, and watched most of it already.
Another one he did was Tulsa with Sylvester Stallone, which is also a gem.
Conclusion on Yellowstone and co.
After I was done with all of its 5 seasons, with the second, and final part, of season 5 set to come out in November (I can't wait!), I needed more. So I found the two spin-offs and started watching those too. I will write more about those in another post or two. But I can say that they're definitely worth it as well.
I binge watched Yellowstone, doing 2 to 3 episodes every night, sometimes more.
It truly has everything, and I think it's suitable for about anyone, as long as they're adult viewers, or close. I wouldn't watch it with my 10 year old, but I'd watch it with the teens if I can get them to...
When I say 'everything', I totally mean everything.
It has romance, but not too much, and not too sappy.
It has action, and a lot of it.
It has drama, but again: not too much.
It has history. Even though it's fictional, and of course, overly Hollywood'ed, you can almost step in the shoes of the ranchers that keep it all together, no matter what.
It has crime, thrills, and deceit. It truly has it all. And I am not exaggerating.
And for the first time in a long time, it's a series that takes care of all the wokeness that's been going on lately, in movies and in TV. It's having none of that. Which makes me believe that Sheridan is on the right side of things...At least, I want to believe that.
He emphasizes on the importance of these ranchers. Sure, some of them might be the mass producing kind, locking their cattle into small spaces, but not these guys.
I'd buy a cow from them if I could haha.
Aside from all that, the series shows a great amount of beautiful scenery. And if you love horses and nature, and just a damn good story, then this is also for you.
Personally, I have always dreamed of living on a ranch like it. Maybe not that huge, but a ranch with horses and some cows and chickens. So this series just ticked all the boxes for me.
It's exciting, and just plain wonderful. It's been a while since I've gotten so involved in a series on a deeper level. The last time was Breaking Bad and TWD. I even shed a tear or two, but was amazed and shocked at other times.
Give it a go, you won't regret it.
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TWD is not my cup of tea, stopped watching it after a few episodes,
but Breaking Bad is my alltime favorite, the gold standard. Never watched anything with such pull.
The one that comes close, sometimes even beats it regarding suspense, is Homeland, especially in the first three seasons.
I watched Yellowstone´s first 3 seasons on Amazon Prime, ain´t got no Netflix, I also liked it a lot.
I like other Neo-Westerns like Justified and Longmire too.
I get it, TWD isn't for everyone.
Breaking Bad! Yes! I was SO involved in that series, sweating on the edge of my seat and crying when things went wrong haha. I had those moments with Better Call Saul too, but it took me longer to get into. Breaking Bad was right away from the first episode. I don't think it'd be hard to make something like it again.
I've never watched Homeland, aside from the odd episode when there was nothing else. Maybe something to watch in the future...
Netflix only has the first three seasons of Yellowstone, so the others I had to get through non legal means haha, if you know what I mean. Forgot to turn on my VPN and received an email with a slap on the wrist within a day...So now I know, VPN, especially with Paramount. They seem to be on the money.
I'll have to watch Longmire and Justified. Another two for my list!
I enjoyed your way of reviewing Yellowstone a lot. Yes, I think I'll have to give it a go!
Oh thank you! I try to write a review without giving much away about it. It's hard! So I tend to stick with the characters and creators usually. And in this case, there's so much to say without saying too much. It's absolutely worth the watch. Let me know what you think!
One of these days I’ll get to watching the show. We go through cycles where we watch absolutely no TV for months on end then we watch some. I like the concept of it and will do a little preview to see if it’s acceptable for my son to watch, who is still on the younger side.
For a non-fiction show, have you ever watched Homestead rescue? It’s one of my absolute favorite shows and doesn’t have the drama of Yellowstone or sure but it’s got some really amazing tricks, information and inspiration in it. Food for thought :D
Yellowstone would be suitable for ages 14-15 and up I'd say. There are some explicit scenes in it, as well as quite a bit of violence. I think 14 is already too young maybe. My eldest son is turning 15 next week, so I think it's OK for him to watch it.
But the series is absolutely worth it. I wouldn't say it if it wasn't.
And I have the same. I live in a nice part of Mexico, so it's a shame to sit indoors to watch TV, but since we've been here 3 years now, normal life happens, and sometimes I binge watch every night, other times nothing for weeks or months.
I'll have to check out Homestead rescue, it sounds like something I'd get into. I just checked some information on it, and it does look quite interesting. Thanks for the tip!