Season 1:
Violence seems to be a willing dance partner for the Duttons. They are a family who owns the biggest ranch in the entire United States which they call Yellowstone.
The family is under the rule of patriarch, John Dutton (played by Kevin Costner). John has, for many years, warded off those who are interested in the family’s land, which is in Montana. Those like land developers, those who run the nation’s first national park and even the adjacent Native reserve. The old-fashioned Duttons are struggling to find a way to make a living in this modern world.
The man behind the series is Taylor Sheridan, who has written scripts for films like Sicario and Hell or High Water. He is also the writer here. A writer who has created an engaging series about a family which exists in the grey zone. Some of them are good people while others are less so. Shows us a flawed family existing in a very flawed world.
Besides Costner, the cast is rounded out by known faces like Cole Hauser, Wes Bentley, Danny Huston, Gil Birmingham, and Luke Grimes. Plus guest appearances by Josh Holloway, Neal McDonough, Josh Lucas, Gretchen Mol, Will Patton, Dabney Coleman, Jill Hennessey, Blythe Howard, and Lane Garrison. This is the best thing Costner has done in a long time and the supporting cast is not any less stellar.
Tone-wise you will be brought back to the Westerns of the past. Rough and tumble with a healthy dose of violence and sex. All this together will result in a bunch of emotions from positive to negative.
Season 2:
By any means necessary. That and the belief that family is everything is what John Dutton (played by Kevin Costner) is all about. For the Duttons, who own the largest ranch in the United States. Just that fact makes them a target. A target for those who want a little bit of the power that kind of ownership brings.
As far as cable series go this one is a ratings king as it was the most-watched cable series over the summer. Who doesn’t like family drama mixed with violence? Obviously not many. The series has already been renewed for a third season.
More violence and switching of sides happen aplenty in season two. Danger is everywhere for the Duttons. Really this is no different from the first season. So those who watched season one will be very familiar with the formula. To keep things interesting and a little less formulaic, circumstances and characters do go through a series of changes.
The Duttons, especially patriarch John, are trying to cling to a rather old-fashioned way of life with the modern world knocking firmly at their door. Despite the fact that this takes place in a Western type setting the themes are rather universal so most can relate. Especially the family dynamics stuff.
All rounded out by gorgeous cinematography, strong acting from the large cast and appealing storylines.
Season 3:
Manipulation, violence, deceit, family dynamics, and more keep happening amongst the Dutton clan in season three. The Duttons are still working to protect their land with dad John (played by Kevin Costner) taking the lead. He goes up against a powerful organization that has hired a Wall Street type named Roarke (played by Josh Holloway) to take their land from them. The land John’s father and grandfather worked to own. It becomes so cutthroat that even John begins to wonder if it is worth it.
Season 4:
A series that over the course of its first three seasons kept gaining in popularity. People watched, liked it and then told two friends and they told two friends and…well, you know how it goes. Soon it was one of the hottest series on television.
It is not only a fun series filled with violence, sex, salty language, beautiful scenery, lies, secrets, and mind games, but it is quality. The entire cast is great. Perfectly cast they bring their characters to life in a completely fleshed out way.
The man behind the series, Taylor Sheridan, has had an up and down career. He seems to waver between making films or series which are either highly watchable or very disappointing. Sicario, Hell or High Water and Wind River have been great while they stand beside failures like Those Who Wish Me Dead. What they all have in common is that they often involve cowboys or those living in tough rural settings. He is a man who seems quite interested in life on ranches, woods or other remote places. With the Duttons he tells the tale of a life surrounded by sprawling acres, horses, cattle, and lots of power and money. An interesting melange of ease and hard work.
The ten episodes will pass by quickly leaving you wanting more of this modern western and of the story of the Duttons. You won’t be able to help yourself, you will binge watch it even though you wish for it to stretch out.
Season four begins with the huge question of who shot the Dutton family patriarch, John (played by Kevin Costner)? Kayce (played by Luke Grimes) and Beth (played by Kelly Reilly) Dutton were also attacked. One of the most powerful and richest families in the state of Montana seems to be teetering on collapse. It is up to Rip (played by Cole Hauser) and the ranch hands to seek retribution. Their own form of justice. As the Dutton name and legacy, all that John has worked towards hangs in the balance.
Special Features:
- Behind the Story for each episode
- Inside Yellowstone: Season 2
- Costner on Yellowstone: Season 2
- Working the Yellowstone: Fight Choreography – Exclusive!
- Only Devils Left – Making Yellowstone: Season 2 – Exclusive!
- Yellowstone Tintype Photography Behind the Scenes
- Stories from the Bunkhouse for each episode
- Deleted Scenes
-Inside Yellowstone: Season 1
-Costner on Yellowstone
-Cowboy Camp
-Character Spots
- Opening Pandora’s Box: Making Yellowstone: Season Four
- Bloodline: Yellowstone Origins
- Season 4: Back to the Bunkhouse
- Working the Yellowstone: Making It All Happen
- Behind the Story for Every Episode
- Stories from the Bunkhouse for Every Episode
- Inside Yellowstone: Season 4
