Netflix’s New Western TV Series Highlights The Harsh Reality Of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone

In early January, Netflix released a brand-new Western TV show that has been gaining traction with viewers, and unfortunately, its success highlights a major issue with Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone franchise. The Western genre has long been a pillar of entertainment, ranging from the days of John Wayne to more recent entries like No Country for Old Men and Bone Tomahawk. Since 2018, Yellowstone has brought neo-Western stories to the small screen, following the Dutton family as they grapple for control of their Wyoming ranch. Yet, Yellowstone is not necessarily a pinnacle of the true Western.

At the moment, Netflix is racking up incredible viewership on its new series, American Primeval. Created by Mark L. Smith, who wrote movies like The Revenant and Twisters, this Western follows a mother and son fleeing their dark past in Utah. However, their intentions are muddied by the growing war between the Mormon religion and Wild West culture. With a solid 63% on Rotten Tomatoes and a spot on Netflix’s top series of the week, American Primeval is gaining serious attention. Though this is great for the series, it also shines a light on what other modern Westerns are missing.

Yellowstone Is More Of A Soap Opera Than A Western

Where Yellowstone Has Gone Wrong

After watching American Primeval, it becomes abundantly clear that Yellowstone and its consequent spinoffs are not as Western as they may appear to be. In fact, they veer more towards soap operas than true Westerns. Despite being set in the American West and including elements of classic cowboy culture, Yellowstone is much more concerned with the family dynamics and politics of the Duttons’ town. Even with the show’s occasional violence and fierce attitude, it is hard to ignore that Yellowstone’s core is family, not the lone cowboy or the morally gray hero.

Looking back over Yellowstone’s five seasons, the biggest obstacle for the show’s “Western-ness” has been John Dutton. With superstar Kevin Costner in this leading role, it seems as though Sheridan wanted Yellowstone to revolve around the Dutton patriarch. He is the ultimate cowboy and the sun around which the other characters revolve. However, for better or for worse, Sheridan has populated Yellowstone with other characters that are far more interesting than John. In this way, Yellowstone does not follow the typical Western storyline, and instead, offers the type of ensemble work that often appears in soap operas.

American Primeval Is A More Authentic Western TV Series

How History & Time Period Benefit Modern Westerns

Compared to Yellowstone, American Primeval feels far more like a true Western series. The show is gritty, gruesome, and filled with historical value that Yellowstone simply doesn’t provide, at least not in its main series. This isn’t to say that American Primeval is the best Western around, but it certainly follows the tracks that one would expect from a conventional Western. There are heroes and villains, intense shootouts, and violence around every corner. Although American Primeval also boasts a strong ensemble of characters, they are not weighed down by modern archetypes or ideas. They are truly Western.

In reality, this is what really sets American Primeval apart from Yellowstone. Yellowstone may have the right setting and the right themes, but its time period makes it difficult for the show to feel like the Westerns audiences know and love. American Primeval benefits from its Utah setting, but it goes the extra mile by also being set in the 1850s, and pulling from American Primeval’s true history. Neo-Westerns certainly make for interesting stories, and Yellowstone isn’t bad by any means, but it feels fundamentally different from Westerns that are set during the actual Wild West time period, like American Primeval.

Why The Western Genre Is So Hard To Get Right With A Modern Audience

Western Ideals Can Fall Apart In The Current Day

Overall, Yellowstone’s failings are not entirely the show’s fault. Westerns are very hard to get right in the modern day. As previously mentioned, neo-Westerns can have all the fixings of a great Western, but without that old-timey setting, it can feel like any other story. Generally, successful Westerns rely on the fact that the Wild West was a different time. It was a brutal era full of feuding groups and hard-won survival. This is entertaining to watch, but it doesn’t quite match the modern day. The Dutton family do not have to fight to survive in the same way cowboys did.

In this way, neo-Westerns like Yellowstone may never feel like true Westerns. As hard as they try to recreate the cowboy stereotype through characters like John Dutton or Rip Wheeler, these men will never face the kind of turmoil that actually occurred in the Wild West. Their problems simply do not align with those of men from the 1850s. Thus, the Western genre is firmly rooted in the past. As hard as Yellowstone may try, it cannot evoke the same over-the-top violent atmosphere as American Primeval.