The Yellowstone franchise is a feat of modern television, following a complicated family over multiple centuries as they strive to defend their ancestral ranch from those who would take it for themselves. Created by Taylor Sheridan, the television universe revolves around the Duttons, led in the flagship series by Kevin Costner’s John Dutton III. John and his family will do anything to protect their ranch, even if it means committing heinous acts that would make others squirm. Throughout the show’s five seasons, the Duttons fiercely fought for their land, eliminating anyone who presented too big a threat to their legacy.
Even after Yellowstone’s recent finale, fans are still breaking down the deeper themes of the hit neo-Western series. The show is known for its complicated characters, many of whom are capable of engaging in ruthless crimes while still claiming to be morally upright people. While the moral ambiguity of the Duttons is a central theme of Yellowstone, it may have taken viewers some time to understand the toxic traits underlying their family. However, Taylor Sheridan has never thinned words regarding the Duttons’ morality. The series creator hinted at what audiences could expect from the Duttons seven years ago.
Taylor Sheridan Revealed Yellowstone’s Central Theme Seven Years Ago
Yellowstone is About Complicated Characters
Taylor Sheridan had some interesting things to say about his then-new series Yellowstone in an interview with Variety in 2018. While discussing the central themes of the project and what fans should expect from its story, Sheridan teased the morally complex backdrop on which he planned to tell the tale of the Dutton family. “I’ve always liked the notion of playing with who is a protagonist, and allowing our heroes to be flawed,” the writer said, “and really question what they’re doing morally, ethically, and keep them human. I don’t like my good guys to be all that good, and I don’t like my bad guys to be all that bad, even though they may do really bad things. And I think that makes them relatable.”
Sheridan’s comments are proven true in Yellowstone’s many complicated characters. The Duttons are an extremely morally ambiguous group of people, who often walk the line between heroes and villains. Although they are the protagonists of the series, it is clear to the viewer that not everything they are doing can be strictly seen as heroic. Even so, one wouldn’t necessarily classify them as villains, either. Much of what the Duttons do falls within a strict code, even if that code doesn’t always line up with the law. Just as Sheridan claimed, the Duttons aren’t “all that good,” but they aren’t “all that bad” either. Instead, they fall into a morally gray area that leaves fans wondering what kind of people they really are. The full breadth of this statement may not have occurred to viewers when Sheridan first said it in 2018, but with the full series in hindsight, it is clear just how complicated the Duttons really were.
Why TV Fans Prefer More Complicated Protagonists
Television Can Delve Deeper into Complicated Emotions Than Film
Yellowstone is full of complicated characters, as Sheridan intended to portray a morally gray world full of complex personalities. This speaks to a larger trend in modern television, where the best series often follow individuals who can’t be described as heroes. Breaking Bad is perhaps the most notable example, following Bryan Cranston’s Walter White on his journey from hapless chemistry teacher to drug kingpin. The series is often hailed as one of the greatest television shows of all time, brilliantly deconstructing what it takes to become a villain. Other similar series like Mad Men, The Sopranos, Better Call Saul, Animal Kingdom, The Penguin, and more all follow characters who either walk the line between hero and villain–or cross it entirely. Yellowstone follows this trend to a tee, presenting John Dutton and his children as protagonists who are capable of both great good and great evil.
Although the Duttons do some terrible things, much like the protagonists of all the above-listed series, audiences seem to love them anyway. Television audiences like to see complex characters portrayed over multiple years. TV is the perfect medium with which to portray moral complexity, as a single character can be explored in greater depth over a multi-season arc, as opposed to films, which usually only have an hour or two to introduce and wrap up a story. Television allows viewers to go on a journey with a character, making even a villainous turn appealing as it slowly plays out over many years. A far cry from the one-note heroes of earlier decades, modern television’s protagonists are more likely to be rooted in neither good nor evil, but walk the fine line between the two. With the continued success of such a series, audiences can expect to see plenty more complicated protagonists in future series.
Yellowstone’s Spinoffs Need to Continue the Franchise’s Core Theme
Taylor Sheridan’s New Series Must Remain Consistent With Yellowstone’s Tone
There is a legion of new Yellowstone spinoffs on the way after the end of the flagship series. The prequel series, 1923, is set to conclude with a second and final season, leading into yet another series, 1944. Two sequel series are also in development, with The Madison following a new group of characters who buy a ranch in Montana and a spinoff following Rip and Beth’s continuing adventures coming in place of Yellowstone Season 6. Sheridan is also rumored to be working on a project following the exploits of the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas, which made several appearances in the original series. As exciting as it may be for fans to get more Yellowstone in the coming years, the new series cannot afford to lose track of what made the original series so special. The moral ambiguity of the franchise’s main characters and the lengths they’ll go to defend their own must continue to be a part of the shows moving forward.
Shows like Rip and Beth’s spinoff series need to show the continuing moral complexity of Yellowstone’s characters, or else risk failing to justify their own existence. Yellowstone isn’t built around bona fide heroes or conniving villains, but rather the complicated personalities that may find themselves on either side of morality. With Taylor Sheridan at the helm of each of these new shows, however, fans can rest assured that each will properly continue the legacy left behind by Yellowstone.
