“Yellowstone,” a drama on the Paramount Network written by Taylor Sheridan, is about the Dutton family, who own a huge ranch in Montana and fight every enemy who tries to take their land away. Even though the show is mostly a new Western, its ability to mix genres has made it very popular.
Even though the show is dramatic and violent, it doesn’t shy away from soapy twists or romance. For example, Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hausersteady )’s loving courtship (and eventual marriage) has become a huge draw for viewers.
Sheridan’s plan must have worked because the ratings for “Yellowstone” have gone up almost every season. According to Variety, the season 5 premiere was better than the season 4 premiere, but the season 4 premiere was already better than the season 3 premiere (via Deadline).
Yet, “Yellowstone” hasn’t gotten a lot of attention from critics. Even though the show is very popular, there isn’t as much written about it as there is about other shows, especially ones that are popular in the industry.
Even though the show was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Drama Ensemble in 2022, it did not take advantage of the awards buzz for the Emmys, where many people think the show and its actors were passed over. This hasn’t bothered the cast because they think it’s more important to reach as many people as possible.
Sheridan recently talked about his thoughts on this and said that the reasons critics haven’t liked the show may be the same reasons why audiences like it so much.
Taylor Sheridan Believes That Yellowstone Has Not Been Well Received By Critics Due To His Unusual Storytelling Style!
The success of “Yellowstone” has given Taylor Sheridan the chance to add two prequels, “1883” and “1923.” In an interview with The New York Times, he talked about the “Yellowstone” universe and why he thinks the show that started it all hasn’t become a critical darling, despite how popular it is and how much people love the stories.
“I think that one reason why critics haven’t reacted to “Yellowstone” is that I break a lot of rules about how stories are supposed to be told. I’ll skip ahead in the story for no reason other than that I want to and it’s fun, “he said. Sheridan said, “The people who get it eat it up, and the people who try to look at it critically see a mess.”
He likes how the show mixes different types of stories, like how it can go “from campy to melodramatic to intensely dramatic to violent.” Sheridan says that this is a mix of how the old Westerns were made and how the new ones are. He admits, though, that this “frustrates and baffles some people who study storytelling,” making them wonder why the show has gained such a big following.
Sheridan doesn’t care about this, though, because he sees “Yellowstone” as a love letter to a certain way of life, written for people who also enjoy it. “It doesn’t matter to me if critics hate it or like it… I’m not making it for them; I’m making it for people who live that way “he said.
