In 2013, Sheridan began work on the series, having recently grown tired of acting and switching to screenwriting. Having lived in the rural parts of states such as Texas and Wyoming, Sheridan set the series in Montana and set 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. 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.
A prequel series titled 1883 (2021–2022) was announced following a five-year deal signed by Sheridan with ViacomCBS and MTV Entertainment Group. The series 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. A second prequel series titled 1923 (2022–present) focuses on an intervening generation of the Dutton family during the time of Western Expansion, Prohibition, and the Great Depression. A third planned spin-off titled 6666 is also in development and is set in the present day on the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas. A further fourth spin-off titled 1944 was confirmed by Paramount in early 2023.
Premise
The series follows the Dutton family, owners of the largest 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 developers.[4]
In 2013, Taylor Sheridan began work on the series, having grown tired of acting and begun 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.[7] Sheridan originally wrote Yellowstone as a film, pitching it as "The Godfather in Montana".[8] He initially pitched the series to HBO, but the network declined.[9]
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 Glasser. Production companies involved with the series were set to consist of Linson Entertainment and The Weinstein Company.[4]
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.[10] 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.[11] That same day, it was announced that the series would premiere on June 20, 2018.[12]
In July 2018, it was announced that Paramount Network had renewed the series for a second season that was expected to premiere in 2019.[13] In March 2019, it was announced that the second season would premiere on June 19, 2019.[14] In June 2019, the series was renewed by Paramount for a third season, which premiered on June 21, 2020.[15][16] In February 2020, Paramount Network renewed the series for a fourth season, ahead of the premiere of its third season.[17] The fourth season premiered on November 7, 2021.[18] In February 2022, Paramount Network renewed the series for a fifth season, which will be split into two installments.[19][20][21] The fifth season premiered on November 13, 2022.[22] In May 2023, Paramount announced that Costner would be leaving the series at the end of Part 2 of Season 5. The second part of the fifth and final season is scheduled to premiere in November 2024.[2][3]
In November 2017, it was announced that Michaela Conlin and Josh Lucas had been added to the cast in recurring roles.[31][32] In December 2017, it was reported that Heather Hemmens was joining the cast in a recurring capacity.[33] In June 2018, it was announced that Barret Swatek had been cast in a recurring role.[34] In September 2018, it was announced that Neal McDonough was joining the cast of season two in a recurring capacity.[35] In July 2021, it was announced that Jacki Weaver, Piper Perabo, Kathryn Kelly and Finn Little were joining the cast in the fourth season.[36] In February 2022, it was announced alongside the fifth season renewal that Jennifer Landon and Kelly were promoted to series regulars for the season.[20]
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.[37] Designer Johnetta Boone then joined the production crew for the start of the second season.[38]
Filming
Principal photography for the series began in August 2017 at the Chief Joseph Ranch in 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.[39][40]
In August 2020, the series announced that filming was completely moved to Montana. An undisclosed production location was rented in Missoula, Montana.[41] 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.[42]
Filming for season 5 started in June 2022 in Missoula.[43] In July 2023, filming was put on an indefinite hold during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[44]
John Dutton's "Log Mansion"
Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby, Montana.
Filming of the "log mansion" home of John Dutton[45] is at the main house of the Chief Joseph Ranch, which is now a guest ranch just south of Darby.[46]
The house has a log cabin motif and was dubbed "log mansion" by The New York Times.[48] It has been compared in style to the Old Faithful Inn which opened in 1904 and is 294 driving miles[49] 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."[48]
The complex includes 3 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.[50] 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 self-made millionaire and 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.[51]
Release
A teaser trailer for the series was released on February 28, 2018,[52] with the first full trailer being released on April 26.[53] On June 25, 2018, the series held a screening at Seriesfest, an annual international television festival, at the Red Rocks Amphitheater near Denver, Colorado.[54][55] 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 reairing the fifth season on Fridays. [56] On July 17, 2023, following the SAG-AFTRA strike, CBS announced that edited episodes of the series would air on its Fall 2023 schedule.[57]
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.[58]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 spinoffs being produced for the service), in addition to current seasons 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.[59][60]
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.[61] Starting with the fifth season, it will be moved to Paramount+ in Canada,[62] and the UK,[63] and to SkyShowtime in any territories where the service is already available.[64] 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.[65] The season 3 premiere attracted 7.6 million viewers, and the season 4 premiere tallied 12.7 million viewers.[9] The season 5 premiere garnered 12.1 million viewers.[66] The show has been called a "Heartland drama"[66] and "red state" drama,[67][68][69] a label which Sheridan himself disputes.[9]
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".[70] 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."[71]
The second season holds an approval rating of 89%, based on 9 reviews.[72] The third season holds an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 7 critics.[73] 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."[74] The fifth season earned a 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."[75]
A prequel series, titled 1883 (also marketed on on its Blu-ray and DVD release as 1883: A Yellowstone Origin Story[90]) and set during the titular 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.[91][92][18] 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.[93] James is the great-great-grandfather of John Dutton III. Flashbacks of both James and Margaret Dutton are featured during the fourth season of Yellowstone.
Another prequel series, titled 1923 (also marketed as 1923: A Yellowstone Origin Story) and set during the titular year, was announced in February 2022[94] and premiered its first season on December 18, 2022, on Paramount+. Acting as 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.[95][96] The series stars Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton, Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton and Brandon Sklenar as Spencer Dutton. Jacob is the older brother of James Dutton, who was featured in 1883, and is the great-great uncle of John Dutton III.[97][98]
Initially titled and set in the year 1932,[97] in June 2022 it was announced that the title and setting would be changed to 1923.[99][96] The series is set to run for two seasons consisting of eight episodes each.[100]
6666
Another planned spin-off, titled 6666, is set in the present day on the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas and will[101][102] premiere on Paramount Network.[103][9] The 6666 Ranch is also featured during the fourth and fifth seasons of Yellowstone.
1944
Another prequel series, titled 1944 and set during the titular year, is reportedly in development as of February 2023. It will serve as a sequel to 1923 and will be filmed in Bitterroot Valley.[104]
2024
In May 2023, following the planned departure of Costner from Yellowstone at the end of the fifth season, a sequel series titled 2024[3] was announced as being in development with Matthew McConaughey in talks to star in the leading role.[1][2]
^"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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