Yellowstone is firmly established as one of the best TV series out there, but creator Taylor Sheridan reckons it shares a lot of DNA with an undisputed cinema classic – perhaps the best movie of all time.
The ongoing saga of the Duttons throughout the Yellowstone timeline has helped the series, and its many spin-offs, become a huge part of the TV landscape. The Yellowstone cast is now a broad tapestry of family connections and creates enough drama to keep several of the small screen’s best Westerns afloat.
It has been compared to ’80s TV hit Dallas over the years – and we’ve argued that Dallas ran so Yellowstone could fly – but Sheridan thinks The Godfather is a more apt comparison.
“For me, this is less like Dallas and more like The Godfather. That was a drama about a family that did very bad things to protect its legacy. And yet, we care deeply for the characters,” Sheridan told Cowboys and Indians magazine.
He added: “We never judge them for some of the malicious deeds that they did. So when you’re storytelling, you’re obviously going to heighten the drama, and intensify the circumstances, and create certain things, and you might question their plausibility in this world. But this show — any show, any movie — is in an alternate world.
“And so, you get to make your own rules in that world. As long as you are consistent in those rules, then the audience will accept them and embrace them. Of course, the most important thing to do is justify a character’s position. It doesn’t mean it’s the right position, but justify every character’s position. You have to really make the audience understand the point of view of everyone.”
There’s certainly something in what Sheridan is saying, with Yellowstone very much a family affair in The Godfather style as the various Duttons attempt to maintain control of the Yellowstone ranch.
To keep up with everything going on at the ranch, find out about the Yellowstone season 5 return, the Yellowstone 1923 season 2 release date, the 1883 season 2 release date, and the Yellowstone 6666 release date. You can also check out our list of the best Taylor Sheridan TV series and movies.
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