Now that Tulsa King season 2 is here, it’s what all the boyfriends are talking about. And in a few more weeks, the second part of Yellowstone Season 5 will hit our screens and further claim their attention. I bet you can’t wait, right? It’s often super specific references that you don’t understand; the characters sound crazy and the storyline doesn’t make the show sound that appealing. And yet, you feel like you should give the show a chance, so you can at least have some of your questions answered. Like who really is Beth? And what’s up with Kevin Costner? And it’s been how long since Season 5 part 1 was released? I’ve been there and in my opinion, you can do better. With Taylor Sheridan shows, that is! (Psst…Taylor Sheridan is the show’s creator.) Because, believe it or not, not all of his characters are bad people; he does actually produce shows that have likable AND moral characters. And they’re usually the gals of the show! That’s why I’m here to explain to you the lawlessness that is Yellowstone, as well as suggest some alternatives if you don’t think you’re quite ready to dive right into this one.
- Why is it called Yellowstone?
-
Very good question! The show takes place in Montana and the main characters live on a ranch that backs onto Yellowstone Park. This is central to much of the show’s plot, as different people try to steal land from one another and corrupt politicians get involved. The ranchers just want to ranch, but they’ll move way more than just their cattle to keep things going their way. Hopefully that also answers a bit of the question: what is it even about?!
- What’s up, kevin?
-
So, what’s the deal with Kevin Costner? Costner plays the main character of the show, John Dutton III, and is truly the heart of the show. Which is why everyone is up in arms that he no longer wants to play the role. In fact, the half-season that’s coming out in a few weeks is the start of a Yellowstone sans Costner forever. No one quite knows what will happen to his character, apparently, he’s just going to leave the family ranch that he has been so heavily invested in — and has killed multiple times for — over the last 5 seasons. As Screenrant puts it, “John loves the Dutton ranch; it’s very difficult to justify him leaving his home, especially with Beth and Jamie on the cusp of trying to murder each other.” So basically, it won’t make much sense since it wasn’t planned. Costner’s exit is coming after he and show creator, Taylor Sheridan, announced irreconcilable differences. So, the kids, Beth and Jamie will be the ones to face the consequences of this split and be placed front and center. Problem is…no one really likes them that much…
- WHo is BEth?
-
Played by Kelly Reilly, Beth Dutton is the only daughter of Costner’s character. The gal has had it pretty rough like a Marvel character. She has trauma from her mother’s death, she’s faced reproductive problems, love life drama and sibling rivalry. The only difference is that she hasn’t had a chance to sort any of it out in a cathartic monologue (yet). She’s tough and will kill for those she loves, but someone truly needs to give her a hug.
- Rip meme
-
Beth’s character is married to a man named Rip. You may have seen this man’s face pop up in a meme before which I’ve attached below. Now you know where his face comes from!
- one year, 10 months, 9 days
-
That’s right! You thought the wait between part 1 and 2 of Bridgerton and Emily in Paris was bad? It’s been almost two years since the first half of Yellowstone was released. Between the strikes, and Taylor Sheridan being Taylor Sheridan, as well as Costner’s exit, the second half has been delayed on a record-level. Hopefully the wait will be worth it, but without Costner, be prepared to hear some passionate rants from your fellas about this upcoming season’s second half.
Now, as I said before, I think you can do better. Taylor Sheridan has LOTS of shows, and while they do have violent aspects to them, not all of them are as intense as Yellowstone. Some of them are even fun! Here are a few of my top picks…
- Mayor of Kingstown
-
I’m beginning with this suggestion mainly because of where it’s filmed. That’s right, Kingstown is filmed in the one and only Kingston, Ontario! While the show doesn’t claim to be set in Kingston, or Canada at all (surprise, surprise), the show does acknowledge references to Kingston’s prison and justice system history. The show is set in the present day and is centred around the corrupt politics and systemic inequalities of “Kingstown.” The show stars Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, Mission Impossible, Avengers) as the town’s mayor, along with Hugh Dillon who plays his brother, a detective for the Kingstown Police Department, and their mother, portrayed by Dianne Wiest (Edward Scissorhands, Footloose). For me, there’s something less intense about shows where you constantly get to point at the screen and be like, “I’ve been there!” And, if you end up liking the show, you can go recreate your favourite scenes — or maybe even spot some of the cast downtown when they’re filming the next season. You can get heavily invested on the real life aspects while your boyfriend is heavily invested in the on-screen intensity.
Fun fact (which your boyfriend may, or may not already know): Hugh Dillon initially started in a role on Yellowstone, but after proposing this project to Taylor Sheridan was written off so that they could co-create this show together.
- Tulsa King
-
Tulsa King makes you feel alright laughing during it. It tells the story of “The General,” played by Sylvester Stallone (Rocky, The Expendables), who gets sent away to Tulsa, Oklahoma after being released from prison. As a Mafia member, now without a group, he decides to organize his own in Tulsa, despite many of the recruited members being entirely unequipped for his level of illegal plans. As his reputation in Tulsa grows, his past is revealed and it is soon learned why he was put in jail to begin with. I mentioned at the beginning of this article that the second season is currently being released where a new episode is dropped each week. The old-fashioned way! There will be an overlap of episodes released in a couple of weeks when Yellowstone starts — exciting times that we must be ready for. I really like the more comical aspect of this show; the violence is much more slap-stick. And the female roles played by Andrea Savage (You People, Step Brothers), Dana Delany (The Union, Desperate Housewives) and Tatiana Lia Zappardino (Superstition, This is Us) are great! These women don’t just play the typical love interest. One of the women is a total horse girl with her own business, while another is The General’s 30-year-old daughter who is really just trying to figure out how to live life. These women are fun and certainly aren’t afraid to knock some sense into the male characters.
- 1883
-
1883 is the first prequel to Yellowstone set in, you guessed it, 1883. As a history student, I found this show and 1923 (another prequel) to be way more appealing as they have many historical elements and, if I’m being honest, the lack of rules feels a bit more acceptable. The story follows the Dutton family as they travel across America in search of a new home. The lead is played by Isabel May who also narrates both prequel shows. Her unique voice and southern twang add an excellent narrative element to the show. Her character, Elsa, is an ancestor of Costner’s character and May totally makes the show what it is! Her parents are also played by real-life couple, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (both known for their country-western music careers) who fit into the show perfectly — they’re not just a famous face and (perhaps) surprisingly integrate into a historical role with ease. Overall, I was quite surprised with this prequel and I loved Elsa as the main character so, so much!
- 1923
-
1923 is the second prequel to Yellowstone. While it connects directly with the 1883 timeline, you don’t necessarily need to watch any of them in a certain order. In fact, I didn’t, I actually watched this one first! 1923 begins with an ominous prophecy of sorts voiced over by Elsa about the hard survival of the Dutton family members to come. For this generation, it means Alex and Spencer, played by Julia Schlaepfer (The Politician) and Brandon Sklenar (It Ends with Us), attempting to get home in a Titanic style romance disaster cycle. And Elizabeth and Jack, played by Michelle Randolph (The Resort) and Darren Mann (Breakwater), who are dealing with wedding planning stress back on the ranch. Meanwhile, the grown-ups are dealing with politics and shootings, but it’s OK because the grown-ups are none other than Helen Mirren (Prime Suspect, The Queen, Barbie) and Harrison Ford (Star Wars, Indiana Jones)! These two absolutely steal the show as the family matriarch and patriarch respectively. You get to see Harrison ride a horse and the two even hug for fun sometimes! I also think that there’s an aspect of relatively newer actors being seamlessly believable in their roles which you get to see with the younger generation.
Fun fact: The whole cast went to “cowboy camp” like how the cast of Bridgerton does regency camp!
The show also delves into a residential school story line centred around Teonna Rainwater, seen through an excellent and super emotive performance by Aminah Nieves. Unfortunately, they did make her storyline unnecessarily graphic and disturbing at parts — I fast forwarded until the later episodes — but her strong character deserves to be rooted for all the way through. Despite this, 1923 is definitely my favourite show in all of the Taylor Sheridan universe. Trust me, you’ll get hooked with Helen Mirren being a badass in the pilot episode’s cold opener!
These shows are typically viewed as being mainly for guys or those interested in “shoot-’em-up” shows, but I personally enjoy them on so many levels! And I think that you can, too! Especially the female characters, and their incredibly interesting and deep story lines. They absolutely steal the show — and you should too during your next movie date night!