Yellowstone Fans Are Sleeping on This Epic CBS Series — Here’s Why You Need to Start Watching Now

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone has become a standout show for Paramount. Aiming to tell the story of the Dutton family, as they navigate complex politics, infighting, and the effort to keep control over Montana’s largest ranch, it proved to be a genuine hit that helped to promote Paramount+ to casual audiences. With Kevin Costner leading the series, it drew millions of viewers, while entertaining both critics and audiences alike. After all, the show was unlike anything else on TV, as it perfectly translated the Western drama to the small screen without losing its epic sense of scale.

Unfortunately, Yellowstone ended with its season 5, part 2 finale in December 2024. Conflicts between Kevin Costner and Paramount led to family patriarch John Dutton III (Costner) leaving before the series ended. It also meant that audiences would need to accept the early ending of the main show, despite being at the peak of its popularity. The Dutton family story is expected to continue, but there will be some time before the follow-up shows can actually come to air. Fortunately, there is another major drama that could tide audiences over as the wait for the next major Yellowstone spin-off continues.

Yellowstone’s Ending Came Too Soon

Several Yellowstone Spin-Offs are in Development

While it was remarkably successful, Yellowstone‘s abrupt ending came far too soon, which Paramount has implicitly acknowledged. After all, while the existing spin-offs, 1883 and 1923, were produced before the cancellation, there are several more follow-ups currently in production. The Madison, Y: Marshals, 6666, 1944, and a Kelly Reilly (Beth Dutton) and Cole Hauser (Rip Wheeler)-led show are all currently in development. Every series has a distinct place within the wider Yellowstone universe, but they will all branch off from the existing narrative, except for the slow-developing 1944 show, which will serve as a sequel to 1923‘s story.

The Madison is expected to follow Michelle Pfeiffer, who will play the New York City-based Stacy Clyburn, who comes to Montana to pursue a new life for herself. Undoubtedly, she will be involved in the drama surrounding the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, which will also spill out into other shows. After all, Y: Marshals will continue the story of Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), 6666 will elaborate on the story of the Four Sixes Ranch, and Beth and Rip’s show will continue the complicated Dutton family drama. After that, there could easily be more prequels to develop to fill the space between 1944 and Yellowstone.

The future of Yellowstone is as bright as ever, but that does not mean that audiences are wholly satisfied. After all, there has not been any content in this universe since December 2024, and there is still no indication about when the next series will premiere. It should be The Madison, which is slated for a 2025 release date, but there has been no confirmation about its exact window. The show was first announced on August 8, 2024, but there have been few updates since that initial piece of news, and viewers will simply have to wait to learn more. Fortunately, there is another series that could fill time as audiences anticipate the next installment in Sheridan’s vast universe.

SEAL Team Could Be an Effective Yellowstone Replacement

The Show Is Equally Flawless

Anyone looking for more Yellowstone would be hard-pressed to find a show with the exact same premise, but CBS’ SEAL Team could be a fitting replacement. Led by David Boreanaz (Jason Hayes), the show features an expansive cast that includes Max Thieriot (Clay Spenser), Neil Brown Jr. (Ray Perry), Toni Trucks (Lisa Davis), and more stars. The show began in 2017 and recently concluded in October 2024. While it was never quite as renowned as Sheridan’s Yellowstone, the show was popular enough that it was able to run for seven straight seasons, despite constant turnover in the TV landscape in recent years.

As the title suggests, the show follows the Navy SEALs’ Bravo Team, which is purported to be the most respected team that the SEALs offer. Just as Yellowstone featured a semi-realistic portrayal of life as an extremely wealthy modern ranch owner, SEAL Team sought real-world operatives to serve as advisors to ensure that the show would be as realistic as possible. It still takes liberties, but it offers a compelling narrative that is only made more intriguing by the ever-increasing stakes. While Yellowstone has earned praise for bringing the Western to the small screen, SEAL Team brought an action-packed military epic to TV. That meant that it could spend more time delving into character work and longer story arcs. In that way, it takes complete advantage of its atypical medium.

SEAL Team Deserves More Recognition

It Is Criminally Underrated

Unfortunately, SEAL Team remains severely underrated, despite having a fairly unique premise for a TV series. The show rarely attracted exceptionally high ratings, only ever breaking through to Nielsen’s top 10 ranking in its final season, per TVLine. Those who watched the show enjoyed it, however, as it earned an 85% Popcornmeter score on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, it fell under the radar, so it did not have enough reviews from critics to earn an official Tomatometer score. Still, audiences had nothing but praise for its exceptional action scenes, realistic portrayal of modern warfare, and its willingness to cast real-world operatives in the series.

Like Yellowstone, the show also never pretended to be anything but its initial concept. Just as Yellowstone is a neo-Western, SEAL Team is always a military-focused action show. There is no illusion here, no underlying distraction, and nothing keeping viewers from eagerly anticipating the next action scene. It never attempts to be anything more than an action-packed series, and that is exactly what it needs to be.

If Yellowstone was praised for its realism and interpersonal drama, then SEAL Team is the perfect companion series. After all, it was never afraid to delve into the personal lives of each Bravo Team member, while also offering insight into the more mundane aspects of life as a Navy SEAL. Every scene in the show feels fairly realistic, as the cast and crew went above and beyond to create a unique and compelling experience. It may not be as popular as Taylor Sheridan’s various shows, but it still deserves respect for working so diligently to create a faithful series. Anyone hoping to pass the time before Yellowstone‘s next spin-off should look to SEAL Team to fill the void.