Yellowstone

April 5, 2025

Yellowstone is a Western TV show about a group of cowboys protecting their ranch from land developers. I don’t recommend it, though it is better than your average TV show. I like the concept—it’s a kind of fresh mix between a cowboy story and a political drama. The story and characters are engaging and unique.

That said, there are quite a few things I disliked. None of the main characters are virtuous, which gets tiring after a while. I did appreciate the depiction of what I’d consider an approximation of an ideal love between two characters—especially after watching shows like Twin Peaks or Boardwalk Empire, where everyone seems to be cheating all the time.

The show also leans too heavily on convenience rather than properly introducing story elements. Its political undertones—both conservative and environmentalist—are very on-the-nose and full of clichés. Whenever a character “doesn’t get their life” on the ranch or does something “bad,” they’re inevitably from California.

In terms of storytelling craft, it just doesn’t operate on the same level as something like The Wire. You have to suspend your disbelief more often than you should—it feels like the writers took some shortcuts.