In 2013, Sheridan began work on the series, having recently grown tired of acting, and switched to screenwriting. Having lived in the rural parts of states such as Texas and Wyoming, Sheridan set the series in Montana and the first scripts in Livingston. Sheridan initially pitched the series to HBO, but the network declined. In May 2017, Paramount Network announced that it had greenlit its first scripted series, Yellowstone, and that it would be written, directed, and executive-produced by Sheridan.
The series became the first in the Yellowstone television franchise that includes the prequel series 1883 (2021–2022) and 1923 (2022–2025) and the upcoming sequel series The Madison, while multiple other spin-offs remain in various stages of development.
Premise
The series follows the Dutton family, owners of the largest cattle ranch in Montana, the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, commonly called "the Yellowstone". The plot revolves around family drama at the ranch and the bordering Broken Rock Indian Reservation, Yellowstone National Park, and land developers.[1]
In 2013, having grown tired of acting, Taylor Sheridan began work on the series and writing screenplays. Having lived in the rural parts of states such as Texas and Wyoming, he set the series in Montana and went about writing the first scripts in Livingston.[2] Sheridan originally wrote Yellowstone as a film, pitching it as "The Godfather in Montana".[3] He initially pitched the series to HBO, but the network declined.[4]
In May 2017, Paramount Network announced that it had greenlit its first scripted series, Yellowstone. Paramount issued a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The series was set to be written, directed, and executive-produced by Sheridan. Other executive producers were to include John Linson, Art Linson, Harvey Weinstein, and David C. Glasser. Production companies involved with the series were set to consist of Linson Entertainment and The Weinstein Company.[1]
In October 2017, it was announced that following reports of sexual abuse allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein, his name would be removed from the series' credits as would The Weinstein Company.[5] In January 2018, Kevin Kay, president of Paramount Network, clarified during the annual Television Critics Association's winter press tour that Yellowstone will not have The Weinstein Company's credits or logo on them, even though that company was involved in production. He stated that their intent is to replace Weinstein Television with the company's new name in the show's credits when available.[6] That same day, it was announced that the series would premiere on June 20, 2018.[7]
In July 2018, it was announced that Paramount Network had renewed the series for a second season that was expected to premiere in 2019.[8] In March 2019, it was announced that the second season would premiere on June 19, 2019.[9] In June 2019, the series was renewed by Paramount for a third season, which premiered on June 21, 2020.[10][11] In February 2020, Paramount Network renewed the series for a fourth season, ahead of the premiere of its third season.[12] The fourth season premiered on November 7, 2021.[13] In February 2022, Paramount Network renewed the series for a fifth season, which was split into two installments.[14][15][16] The fifth season premiered on November 13, 2022.[17] In May 2023, Paramount announced that Costner would be leaving the series at the end of Part 1 of Season 5. The second part of the fifth and final season premiered on November 10, 2024.[18][19]
In November 2017, it was announced that Michaela Conlin and Josh Lucas had been added to the cast in recurring roles.[29][30] In December 2017, it was reported that Heather Hemmens was joining the cast in a recurring capacity.[31] In June 2018, it was announced that Barret Swatek had been cast in a recurring role.[32] In September 2018, it was announced that Neal McDonough was joining the cast of season two in a recurring capacity.[33] In July 2021, it was announced that Jacki Weaver, Piper Perabo, Kathryn Kelly and Finn Little were joining the cast in the fourth season.[34] In February 2022, it was announced alongside the fifth season renewal that Jennifer Landon and Kelly were promoted to series regulars for the season.[15]
Costume designer
In August 2017, Oscar-nominated costume designer Ruth E. Carter joined the production team, but soon departed at the end of the first season.[35] Designer Johnetta Boone then joined the production crew for the start of the second season.[36]
Filming
Principal photography for the series began in August 2017 at the Chief Joseph Ranch near Darby, Montana, which stands in as the home of John Dutton. Filming also took place that month near Park City, Utah. The production used all three soundstages at the Utah Film Studios in Park City, which is a total of 45,000 square feet. The building also houses offices, editing, a wardrobe department and construction shops. By November 2017, the series had filmed in more than twenty locations in Utah, including the Salt Flats, Promontory Club, and Spanish Fork. Additionally, filming also took place at various locations in Montana. Production reportedly lasted until December 2017.[37][38]
In August 2020, the series announced that filming was completely moved to Montana. An undisclosed production location was rented in Missoula, Montana.[39] Film locations included the Community Medical Center, Ryman Street near the County Courthouse, and a diner (Ruby's Cafe) on Brooks Street in Missoula, as well as places in nearby Hamilton, Montana.[40]
Filming for season 5 started in June 2022 in Missoula.[41] In May 2023, filming Season 5 Part 2 was delayed due to the Writers Guild of America strike, due to pick back up in April 2024.
John Dutton's "Log Mansion"
Chief Joseph Ranch near Darby, Montana.
Filming of the "log mansion" home of John Dutton[42] is at the main house of the Chief Joseph Ranch, which is now a guest ranch just south of Darby.[43]
The house has a log cabin motif and was dubbed "log mansion" by The New York Times.[45] It has been compared in style to the Old Faithful Inn which opened in 1904 and is 294 driving miles[46] away in Yellowstone National Park. The Times described it as "A diverse combination of arches, gables and dormers, set off by logs placed vertically and horizontally, adds an elegance to log-home design that is seldom seen."[45]
The complex includes three large barns built to house Holstein cattle. It was claimed it was the largest dairy herd west of the Mississippi River. Ford later gave up the dairy cattle and began raising Hereford cattle.[47] After Ford died, his wife and daughter operated it as a guest house. They sold it in 1952. It went through a series of new owners who renamed it for Chief Joseph who is said to have passed through its area during the Nez Perce War. Mel Pervais, a member of the Ojibwa Nation, owned it from 1987 to 2004.
Music
The series' score was composed by Brian Tyler. He worked with musicians from the London Philharmonia Orchestra and viola, cello, and violin soloists. On August 17, 2018, the soundtrack for the first season was released by Sony Music.[48] The main theme melody is virtually identical to that of the 1970 hit single 'Sympathy' by UK prog rock group Rare Bird.
Release
A teaser trailer for the series was released on February 28, 2018,[49] with the first full trailer being released on April 26.[50] On June 25, 2018, the series held a screening at Seriesfest, an annual international television festival, at the Red Rocks Amphitheater near Denver, Colorado.[51][52] The first season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on December 4, 2018, by Paramount Home Media Distribution (under the Paramount Network label). After their Paramount Network premieres, CMT began reairing the fifth season on Fridays.[53] On July 17, 2023, following the SAG-AFTRA strike, CBS announced that edited episodes of the series would air on its Fall 2023 schedule.[54]
Streaming
NBCUniversal's Peacock acquired the U.S. streaming rights to Yellowstone in 2020, with the first two seasons debuting in July of that year.[55]Paramount Global President and CEO Bob Bakish have since called the timing of the deal "unfortunate", due to the show's improved reception, viewership, and popularity in its later seasons. Critics have noted that Yellowstone's absence from Paramount's own, similarly named streaming service, Paramount+ (in-spite of the show's spin-offs being produced for the service), in addition to current seasons previously being available on Paramount Network's app and website primarily through TV Everywhere (requiring a paid television subscription), have caused confusion among viewers and the show's fans on social media.[56][57]
Full episodes and seasons of Yellowstone are available for purchase on all major digital entertainment distribution stores in the U.S., with Amazon's Prime Video streaming new episodes in Canada the day after their U.S. broadcast on Paramount Network.[58] Starting with the fifth season, it will be moved to Paramount+ in Canada,[59] and the UK,[60] and to SkyShowtime in any territories where the service is already available.[61] As with the previous seasons in Canada, new episodes will be released the day after the U.S. airing.
Reception
Audience viewership
Viewership of the series has grown with subsequent seasons.[62] The season 3 premiere attracted 7.6 million viewers, and the season 4 premiere tallied 12.7 million viewers.[4] The season 5 premiere garnered 12.1 million viewers.[63] The show has been called a "Heartland drama"[63] and "red state" drama,[64][65][66] a label which Sheridan himself disputes.[4]
Critical response
Following its premiere, the show was met with a mixed response from critics. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the first season a score of 54 out of 100 based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[67] On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 56% approval rating, with an average rating of 5.8/10 based on 52 reviews. The website's critical consensus of the first season reads, "Yellowstone proves too melodramatic to be taken seriously, diminishing the effects of the talented cast and beautiful backdrops."[68]
The second season holds an approval rating of 89%, based on 9 reviews.[69] The third season holds an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 7 critics.[70] The fourth season holds a 91% approval rating based on reviews from 11 critics. The critical consensus for that season reads, "Hitting its stride as a predictably unpredictable oat opera, Yellowstone continues to entertain with its tough-as-rawhide characters and modernized perspective on classic cowboy tropes."[71] The fifth season earned an 84% approval rating based on 38 reviews. The critical consensus for that season reads, "Galloping into the arena of politics with a decidedly nonpartisan bent, Yellowstone enters uncertain territory but remains firmly in the saddle, with Kevin Costner's steadfast presence remaining an invaluable asset."[72]
A prequel series, titled 1883 (also marketed on its Blu-ray and DVD release as 1883: A Yellowstone Origin Story[97]) and set during that year, premiered on December 19, 2021, on Paramount+, and concluded after ten episodes on February 27, 2022. In February 2021, the series was announced as part of a five-year deal signed by Sheridan with ViacomCBS and MTV Entertainment Group, under its initial title Y: 1883.[98][99][13] It focuses on a generation of the Dutton family during the Old West as they undertake the arduous journey across the country before settling the land that would become the Yellowstone Ranch. The series stars Sam Elliott as Shea Brennan, Tim McGraw as James Dutton, Faith Hill as Margaret Dutton, and Isabel May as Elsa Dutton.[100] James is the great-grandfather of John Dutton III. Flashbacks of both James and Margaret Dutton are featured during the fourth season of Yellowstone.
In May 2022, a spinoff titled 1883: The Bass Reeves Story was ordered to series.[101] However, the series would later be retitled Lawmen: Bass Reeves and was confirmed to no longer take place in the Yellowstone universe.[102]
Another prequel series, titled 1923, and set during that year, was announced in February 2022[103] and premiered its first season on December 18, 2022, on Paramount+, and concluded on April 6, 2025, after two seasons consisting of sixteen episodes.[104][105] Initially titled and set in the year 1932,[106] its title and setting was changed to 1923 during development.[107][108] Being a sequel to 1883, it focuses on a new generation of the Dutton family during the time of Western Expansion, Prohibition, and the Great Depression, which in Montana started a decade earlier.[109][108] The series stars Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton, Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton, Brandon Sklenar as Spencer Dutton, and Julia Schlaepfer as Alexandra. Jacob is the great uncle of John Dutton III while Spencer is John's grandfather.[106][110]
In May 2023, following the planned departure of Costner from Yellowstone during the fifth season, a sequel series titled 2024[19] was announced as being in development with Matthew McConaughey in talks to star in the leading role.[111][18] In August 2024, it was announced that the series was tentatively retitled The Madison with Michelle Pfeiffer set to star[112][113] as wealthy matriarch Stacy Clyburn who moves her family from NYC to Montana in the wake of her husband and brother-in-law's tragic deaths in a plane crash. Kurt Russell, Patrick J. Adams and Beau Garrett were also reportedly in talks to star in main roles.[92] Later that month, Adams and Garrett officially joined the cast alongside Elle Chapman and Amiah Miller.[114]
Production began in August 2024, with filming taking place in Montana, New York, and Texas. The series is expected to premiere sometime in 2025, following the conclusion of Yellowstone in late 2024.[92]
In development
A spin-off series, titled 6666, was announced in February 2021 and would be set in the present day on the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas[93][115] and is planned to premiere on Paramount Network.[116][4] The 6666 Ranch is also featured during the fourth and fifth seasons of Yellowstone.
Another prequel series, titled 1944 and set during that year, is reportedly in development as of February 2023. It would serve as a sequel to 1923 and be filmed in the Bitterroot Valley.[94]
A spinoff series with Yellowstone series regulars Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser set to reprise their respective roles as Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler was confirmed to be in active development as of August 2024 in place of a sixth season of Yellowstone.[117][95]
A procedural spinoff series with Yellowstone series regular Luke Grimes set to reprise his role as Kayce Dutton was confirmed to be in active development for CBS as of March 2025.[96]
↑ "2021 LMGI AWARDS NOMINEES". Location Managers Guild International. September 29, 2021. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
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