10 Things That Prove ‘Yellowstone’ Is Just a Modern-Day ‘Dallas’ md20

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone has been a massive hit, scoring award nominations, massive ratings, and a place deep inside pop culture. It has produced numerous spinoffs, as the Duttons’ rich history offers plenty of leeway for storytelling. The show is a sprawling epic set on a massive ranch in Montana, providing beautiful outdoor shots and plenty of horse riding. It’s a unique series in some aspects, but also follows a playbook in others.

Many people across the internet have noted that Yellowstone feels like the long-running soap opera Dallas. Dallas ran for 14 seasons, starting in 1978. Set in Texas, it follows a family that owns a cattle ranch and is in the oil business. These two shows mirror each other in many respects, not only because fans adore them. The similarities between the shows highlight how things can change, but they ultimately stay the same.

Here are 10 huge similarities between the two shows that prove that Yellowstone is just a modern-day version of Dallas.

10. Both Are About Wealthy Ranch-Owning Families

Barbara Bell Geddes in a scene from Dallas (1)

It’s important to start with the most obvious similarity. Both shows tell the stories of incredibly wealthy families who own ranches. When boiling down either show to its core, that statement could summarize them. Yellowstone follows the Duttons, who have owned Yellowstone Ranch in Montana for centuries. Dallas focuses on the Ewings and their time at Southfork Ranch in Texas.

Something that makes both of these shows interesting is their focus on wealthy families who do blue-collar work. Ranching and oil drilling are hard labor roles, and many of the jobs in those fields are not incredibly lucrative. They both take time to learn and provide opportunities to people who like living a certain outdoor lifestyle. The stark comparisons to the owners who are richer than they could possibly be provide an interesting dichotomy in both series.

9. Power Grabs Between Siblings Happen Underneath a Central Figurehead of the Family

Wes Bentley in Yellowstone holding a rifle

The amount of pettiness between siblings is a thrilling part of both of these series. With a central figurehead in the family, John Dutton (Kevin Costner) in Yellowstone and Jock Ewing (Jim Davis) in Dallas, they ultimately have the most say in the family’s business. But that doesn’t mean their kids haven’t thought about what it will be like to take over one day. As the series go on, audiences get to see the succession plans in action.

This tends to pit two siblings against one another in a clash of power. In Dallas, the most conflict is between J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), the Ewings’ oldest son, and Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy), the youngest son. J.R. believes the company is his to take over since he was born first, and Bobby is opposed to anything that will hurt the family’s name.

Yellowstone has Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly), the oldest daughter, and Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley), the oldest son. Beth has a mind of her own and wants to protect the family name, while Jamie is interested in doing business and calling the shots. Both sets of siblings do bad things for their own gain, making their rivalries fascinating to watch.

8. Both Shows Portray Complex Relationships Outside the Family

A side-eye from Chief Rainwater on *Yellowstone*

With both series featuring sprawling storylines across both the countryside and the cities in which they are set, there are plenty of adversaries who want to take the central families down. The Duttons deal with developers, Native American tribes, and villainous crews who try to take down the family. Many of the issues the Duttons face are brought on by their own handling (or mishandling) of situations. Often, it is the figurehead trying to clean up the mess.

In Dallas, a lot of the drama focuses on the Ewings and their rivals, the Barneses. Jock and Digger Barnes worked together to build a successful oil business. Digger was great at finding oil drilling locations. Jock was more of the business side. Their falling out came from Jock removing Digger from the business dealings of the company, casting him out on his own. The two men were both in love with Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes), who ended up marrying Jock, furthering Digger’s case for resentment. Those with a lot of power have to deal with plenty of adversaries.

7. Both Families Have Business Rivals and Deal with Land Grabs

Building off the rivalry with the Barneses, Dallas continued to show how people were hungry for the land and the legacy of the ranches. J.R. tried to take the ranch away from his own family and own it solely. This comes to a head after Ellie leaves the ranch to Bobby, furthering the brothers’ feud. Later, in the Dallas-based film Dallas: War of the Ewings, Carter MacKay makes a bid to buy a ranch from Bobby.

In Yellowstone, the Duttons must contend with business developments encroaching on the ranch. While Jamie is a politician and lawyer, trying to take those impeaching on the land from one side, other companies like Market Equities are trying to build on property adjacent to the ranch, making a push to overthrow the Duttons’ power. With so much land, the families’ rivals are shocked when they don’t want to part with any of it.

6. Plenty of Extended Drama Inside the Families

Barbara Bel Geddes as Miss Ellie Ewing, Dallas (1)

Imagine having a rival that all of your family hates. Then, one day, your little brother comes home and tells you that he’s married someone from your rival family. That was the premiere episode of Dallas, where Bobby said that he was married to Pamela Barnes. It caused an immense reaction from the Ewings, and it was something that J.R. never got over. The sibling rivalry is a huge part of both shows.

Jamie and Beth Dutton go out of their way to make lives a living hell for the other one. There are elongated plans to bring down the other sibling, and there is not one ounce of fighting fair. All of this happens while Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) stays out of both of their ways.

5. A Whodunnit Shooting

If there were an internet back in 1980, Dallas would’ve been accused of breaking it. The final episode of the third season featured one of the most famous TV scenes of all time. J.R. is shot in his office, and the season ends, leaving a massive cliffhanger between seasons. It is the second-most watched episode in television history with 83 million viewers in the U.S. It is arguably one of the most famous episode endings ever.

While Yellowstone couldn’t possibly match those numbers, it did have its own cliffhanger shooting scene. The final episode of Season 3 (sound familiar?) saw John get shot on the side of the road and left for dead. Both of the characters went on to live and make recoveries from their shootings.

Beth and Rip pose on a fence in Yellowstone

These shows are so melodramatic because they are written to wow audiences. The performances can go over the top. The directing is meant to bring fans in even more than normal. For Yellowstone, Rip saving Beth in the office building from two assassins is gripping television. Any Beth rant where she is dressing down an opponent is so scathing, it’s hard not to pick up a phone and text somebody afterward. Luke’s ritual of sleeping out in the cold or Jamie’s fiasco with his birth father are all incredibly memorable.

Dallas was the soapiest of soap operas, so even the music was tuned up to let the moments sink in. Ellie saved the family from losing the ranch after J.R. mortgaged it for a shady business deal. Bobby’s victory over J.R. for control of Ewing Oil was a brilliant twist, as was the infamous driveway sequence where Bobby ends up on the wrong side of a car crash. There’s even an entire dream sequence that goes on longer than any Dallas fan realized.

3. Production Was a Boost for the States the Shows Were Shot In

Kayce Dutton and his family in Yellowstone

Montana is the main setting for Yellowstone, and Texas is obviously where Dallas takes place. Prior to the show, Dallas had been known mostly for the Cowboys and where John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The first season was shot mainly at a ranch in Frisco, which became the Southfork. Fans flocked to the area in the following decade and a half after the premiere, boosting tourism. The show’s storylines became synonymous with the city.

Montana’s rise in popularity can directly be linked to Yellowstone. In 2023, the University of Montana did a study that showed that film and TV production and visitor spending created 10,000 jobs and over $375M for the state. People used to go to Montana for outdoor activities like fly fishing or skiing. Finding the Yellowstone Ranch is now on a bucket list for many fans.

2. Jamie and Cliff Both Had Political Runs

Ken Kercheval as Cliff Barnes in Dallas (1978) — Ken Kercheval as Cliff Barnes in *Dallas* (1978).

Two of the sons of the main families of the shows both ran for office, and neither of them had things work out for them. Cliff Barnes was J.R.’s rival. Their rivalry is one of the most famous in television history. Cliff decided to run for the Texas State Senate. He is leading in the polls until J.R. has something to say about it. When he slanders Cliff by leaking things to the press, Cliff’s bid goes up in flames.

On Yellowstone, Jamie runs for Attorney General of Montana and wins that election. Because of his family name and his job as Attorney General, he decides to run for Governor. Only until his father enters the race does Jamie back out and run for re-election for Attorney General. He is then forced to continue living in his father’s shadow after John wins the gubernatorial race.

1. Beth Dutton Is a Combination of 2 ‘Dallas’ Characters

Beth stands in the office in Yellowstone

Beth is incredibly ambitious and determined to always finish on top. She is one of the harshest people on the show and makes life a living hell for anyone who gets in her way. She works very hard for her family, even if she’s feuding with them. Kelly Reilly’s performance as Beth is divisive with fans, but no one can deny her charisma on screen.

She comes from a long line of characters like her, and many fans see her as a combination of two Dallas characters. Her business savvy and ability to tear people down around her are similar to J.R. But there are things that she doesn’t understand about the world, and John has to go out of his way to show her or reprimand her. In that aspect, she’s a bit like Lucy Ewing, the daughter of Gary Ewing, J.R.’s brother.

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10. Both Are About Wealthy Ranch-Owning Families

9. Power Grabs Between Siblings Happen Underneath a Central Figurehead of the Family

8. Both Shows Portray Complex Relationships Outside the Family

7. Both Families Have Business Rivals and Deal with Land Grabs

6. Plenty of Extended Drama Inside the Families

5. A Whodunnit Shooting

4. Shocking Scenes Made To Be Talked About on Social Media (Or at the Water Cooler Back in the Day)

3. Production Was a Boost for the States the Shows Were Shot In

2. Jamie and Cliff Both Had Political Runs

1. Beth Dutton Is a Combination of 2 ‘Dallas’ Characters