5 reasons why Yellowstone will become your new obsession

In case you haven’t noticed yet, the series Yellowstone is now coming to Netflix and that’s a really big deal! Because despite some recent crises, the series is extremely worthwhile. 5 reasons why you should definitely watch Yellowstoneexplain the appeal of the successful series to you before it starts streaming on Netflix on January 15, 2024.

1. Game of Thrones as a modern Western? Toughness, excitement and intrigue await you in Yellowstone

Yellowstone replaced the series hit Game of Thrones as currently the most successful fictional series in the USA. But how did the story about John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) ranching family earn this top spot? One explanation would be that the series has more in common with the fantasy hit than it seems at first glance. Because if Succession was the Game of Thrones of the media world, Yellowstone is this Game of Thrones in a modern Western guise.

Before Yellowstone, series creator Taylor Sheridan was known not only as a Sons of Anarchy actor, but also as a screenwriter of material that harsh but insistent are. He penned Denis Villeneuves’ drug thriller Sicario and Sheridan also set the direction of his current western heroes in Wind River and Hell or High Water. He understands it without any fuss nerve-racking tension into his taciturn stories about America.

When long-time farmers in Yellowstone defend their land against greedy businessmen, when the patch of land actually once belonged to Native Americans on the nearby reservation, a story unfolds Tale of intrigue and betrayalwhich doesn’t have to hide from Game of Thrones.

2. You’ll love the Yellowstone characters around Kevin Costner for their shadyness

What Yellowstone understood is that ambivalent characters are the be-all and end-all of a complex narrative. Since the Dutton family members are also perfectly cast and fantastically acted, here comes one successful character crossing everything together.

Game of Thrones has a throne, Yellowstone has a ranch: Kevin Costner’s family patriarch John Dutton would like to have his army-trained son Kayce (Luke Grimes) as his successor. Only he and his wife and children no longer want to know anything about his father. John’s other lawyer son Jamie (Wes Bentley), on the other hand, constantly begs in vain for recognition, while the tough Dutton daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly) has the misfortune of flying below the radar of her traditional father as a woman. In reality, John’s right-hand man Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) would of course be the best candidate, but unfortunately he cannot show any blood relationship.

The fact that the Duttons don’t always stick to rules and laws in Yellowstone, and often even seem like a criminal empire, charges the ensemble with shades of moral gray. Most of the characters are just as easy to love as they are to hate. For example, while we finally want Beth to get the attention she deserves, the way she mercilessly bullies her brother Jamie is often hard to bear.

3. The beautiful landscapes in Yellowstone alone are worth a Netflix trip

In addition to the main characters, there is another character that we should not forget: We have known since the Lord of the Rings films at least picturesque landscapes play a significant role in determining the narrative can. And Yellowstone also has breathtaking forests, mountains and meadows. Here we can travel into the distance between herds of wild horses and snow-covered peaks on the screen.

The home of the Yellowstone series, the US state of Montana, is not nicknamed “Big Sky Country” for nothing. This vastness and the feeling of freedom of the “land of the big sky” is also evident in the beautiful pictures the series. When you look at this impressive nature, the struggle for it suddenly becomes easier to understand.

4. Yellowstone manages the balancing act between tradition and modernity

Yellowstone functions as Overall picture of American tensions. One can well imagine that Republicans and Democrats watch the series equally in the USA. Taylor Sheridan’s heroes often still breathe the spirit of old warhorses who would prefer to resist progress. Nevertheless, this image of masculinity repeatedly shows cracks in the series, which, beneath all its harshness, reveal sensitive, complex, modern cowboys let shine through. Cowboys who are in no way inferior to defensive fighters like Beth and sensitive, strong wives like Kayce’s Native American wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille).

And it’s not just in the figure drawing that old and new rub together: Kevin Costner’s John Dutton may insist that his herds of cattle are driven across the pastures according to the old Western model. There is still a helicopter behind the house. The fact that Taylor Sheridan also deals with the topic of… displaced indigenous peoples are not excluded, contributes further current facets in the fight for land rights. Even if Yellowstone’s Broken Rock tribe can now maintain its traditions with casino revenue.

5. Yellowstone opens up a whole universe to you without any pressure

The fact that Yellowstone lasts five seasons (the series finale in season 5b is still pending) isn’t everything. With the completed prequel miniseries 1883, which was one of our best series of 2022, the series universe grew with an enchanting prequel. Also told 1923 with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren the Dutton family history impressively continues.

Currently belong to Yellowstone Universe so officially three published series. At least three more are planned: Yellowstone: 6666, 1944 and 2024 with Matthew McConaughey.

The nice thing about it is: The Additional series are not mandatory events, as audiences of formats like Grey’s Anatomy and Seattle Firefighters all too often experience with annoying crossovers. If the prospect of more series puts you off, you don’t need to watch it to understand Yellowstone. If you’re hooked on the Kevin Costner series, you’ll want to watch it though. Then you have to switch from Netflix to Paramount+ * at the moment.

Podcast with Yellowstone prequel: The best series of 2023 in review

From series blockbusters to absolute insider tips: In the Moviepilot podcast, we introduce you to the 23 best series that were to be discovered in 2023. You can listen to part 1 of the big annual review here:

Whether horror high-flyer The Last of Us, pirate hit One Piece, the masterful Succession finale or brilliant sci-fi discoveries. As series fans, you shouldn’t miss these highlights from Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and Co.

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