Yellowstone (television series)

Photo By: Emerson Miller / Paramount Network

A few posts back I recommended a mini-series on HBO called Chernobyl and how I was drawn to it because of my desire to go shoot photos there.  It is unrealistic and I know I will never go there.  However, there is another show I want to discuss, with a setting that leads me to a desire to go shoot there.  I know this location is not so lofty and much more attainable.

Yellowstone is a show that premiered in June of 2018 and follows the fictional character named John Dutton (Kevin Costner) as he tries to keep control of his huge ranch (250,000 acres) sandwiched between Yellowstone Park and a Native American preserve.   For those of you who are around my age, you may remember the show Dallas.  This has a feel of Dallas and a more recent show Longmire (don’t let anyone convince you Longmire is boring).  It takes 3-4 episodes before it gets good.

So why do I like the show?  First, it filmed in both Darby, Montana and Park City, Utah.  I have never been to these locations but in pictures and this show, it is the most gorgeous place I have never been.  The second appeal for me is the life and story of a true cowboy.  The show is full of famous actors, but there is at least one actor, who also is a real-life cowboy on the show.  More on that in a bit.

To me, cowboys are someone of a mythical hero.  They work the land, and somewhat out of step with the pace of the modern fast-paced world.  In most cases, rush hour traffic, social media, and fancy restaurants have no place for a cowboy.  Cowboys make their path.  They cut their paths on their ranch, but with a healthy respect for his land, knowing he is not in control of it.  That respect runs deep within him and he honors the land by owning, working, and living off his land.  Even more, he works seven days a week from sunrise to sunset with his accomplishments show by the scars on his hands, soreness in his back and sweat stains on his hat.  They only hope to break even.

If you clicked on the music link above you will be listening to a song by Ryan Bingham.  Ryan plays ‘Walker’ on the show and his real-life story eerily parallels the show.  Ryan was a bull rider, rancher, oil worker, ditch digger and lived in New Mexico, and Texas.  He knows how to ride and rope, similar to his character. Ryan finally found his calling as a singer.  He slightly falls into the rock genre, country, and with a voice similar to John Mellencamp.  I don’t like what they classify as ‘country’ these days, but Ryan’s music is different.   On a recent snippet of the full interview with him by Sam Jones, Ryan speaks of his troubled childhood, which seems to follow ‘Walker’ to Yellowstone.  Check it out here.  It’s worth 3:25 of your time.

Season two of Yellowstone began recently on the Paramount channel and seems to get better by each episode.  The cast, writing, and location all add to its allure to me.  It is rare to have a show that can last long past the pretty actors.  Like people, if there is no substance, it fades away quickly.  Deadwood (I will talk about in another post), Justified, and Longmire all are well written, and worth the investment of watching them.

Yellowstone has riddled cowboys portrayed by Cole Hauser as Rip, Luke Grimes as Kayce, Kevin Costner as John, Kelly Reilly as Beth (judge me if you want, but she is not attractive at all) but plays the part perfectly, Jefferson White as Jimmy, Kelsey Chow as Monica, Ryan Bingham as Walker (previously mentioned), Forrie J Smith as Lloyd, Fredric Lehne as Carl and many others.  They are all a family, some by blood, others by the bond of the ranch, others by love of John Dutton.  They fight (often), but all take care of their own.

I hope you take some time to watch this show as well as others mentioned in this post, my wife chooses not to.  You and I may not have the same taste but these are shows that mean many things to me.  I share them with respect and understanding that you too respect my suggestions.

I will leave you with a great quote from the show between two characters.

“Carl: I hope I never meet the first man who thought it was a good idea to ride a bull.

John: I don’t know, Carl. The first man might be worth meeting. It’s the second man I wonder about.”

Until next time,

Tim