Yellowstone

(Review is only for the first two seasons)

I came into this show not expecting to like it but the storyline, acting, and cinematography is superb. Basically it's Mafia Wars in Montana with intermittent giant doses of testosterone (cowboys with guns on horses while fishing)! Costner is a master actor as lead of the Duttons. The show is at its finest when it shows the chessboard moves the Duttons and their enemies engage in.

The show gets gummed early in the second season but starts rolling again midway through. Kelsey Asbille is the weakest link as Monica and plays a poor hand badly, the storyline jettisons awkwardly out and the acting just misses the mark.

I think Cole Hauser as Rip may be the strongest acting (sans Costner himself) and looked forward to all the scenes Rip was in. Thomas Rainwater is great too. The storyline hums and the scenery is beautiful.

Just as Cormac McCarthy's "All The Pretty Horses" was a little more raw and brutal than the title suggests, this show strikes in a similar vein. Highly recommend and wish I didn't wait so long to watch it.

Let me say one thing: if you had come to me a decade ago and said that Kevin Costner's flagging career would be revived thanks to his role in a modern day western, I would probably have laughed and called you crazy.

Yet it happened. Costner's John Dutton will surely go down in the annals of TV history as one of the best characters ever.

Costner played Dutton perfectly: a doting father, a ruthless ranch owner and a man who is no stranger to violence. Unforgettable.

With "Yellowstone, Taylor Sheridan has done something quite difficult: he made us care immensely about a bunch of characters of dubious moral standing.

For example, Kelly Reilly's Beth Dutton was, for the most part, a horrible person, yet you cared about what happened for her, cheered on her successes and commiserated her failures, even when said successes might have been on the wrong side of what's right.

That's because Reilly is a brilliant actress, and because she was given top-notch material to work with.

Cole Hauser, Luke Grimes, Kelsey Asbille, Wes Bentley...all brilliant.

Sheridan is a genius.

What a show. We won't see it's like again, that's for sure.

The wife and I have watched since season 1. We stopped when all the bickering started in season 4, and then binged the final season after it was over. I was worried that Sheridan was going to blow the ending, but I felt it was well done. We get closure, we know where everyone is headed, and many of the fears we had for some characters are laid to rest. Very well done. Finally, someone knows how to end a series.

I didn't blame Costner for wanting to end on a high note. This was SO much better than dragging it out. Season 4 was proof that it was time.

Be aware that there's lots of sex, alcohol and language abuse, but it is tolerable. I'd definitely suggest this show!

Yellowstone is a solidly written drama - great characters, well-crafted - that draws it's tone from a few different modern-day masterpieces.

It has the feel and cinematography of Longmire, the plotting and grim outlook of The Sopranos, and the dramatic dynamics of shows like 'Dynasty' or any of the other network dramas similar to that.

Much respect must go to Costner and Cole Hauser - these guys bring it 100%.

I did not expect to get drawn in to this show like I did. It's well worth your time.

Yellowstone was one of the best shows on tv from when it originally came on in 2018 right up to the ending in 2024. It was the #1 show on cable for all 5 seasons it was on (really it was 6 seasons because they broke season 5 into 2 parts). It's hard to explain just how good this show really is. The acting, writing, directing, cinematography, production, etc, are all incredible. It's exactly what you expect from a Taylor Sheridan show since just about everything he does is terrific. The acting was as good as anything on tv. Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, Hassie Harrison, Kelsey Asbille, Wes Bentley and the rest of the cast all deserve recognition for the incredible job they do season after season, episode after episode. It's one of the rare shows where almost every season is just as good as the others. I can't recommend this show enough, just go watch it for yourself.