Parents' Guide to

Yellowstone

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Contemporary Western series has corruption, violence.

TV Paramount Network Drama 2018
Yellowstone TV show: poster

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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age 18+

Based on 80 parent reviews

Pres
Pres Adult
November 16, 2021
age 18+

Disappointing-Vulgar-Porn

Have not made it through entire series and will not finish. Each episode degrades and objectifies women more and more. The out-of-place strip club scene is the most graphic and gratuitous I have seen. I am shocked that Kevin Costner is so hard-up for ratings that he allowed this. The movie 'talks' about respect for women while at the same time, depicting horrific acts of violence against them, as well as lingering and intentional close ups of their bodies. The language and violence are too much as well.
pegschr
pegschr Adult
February 2, 2022
age 18+

NOT for anyone too much vulgarity, skin, violence

To much cussing, and skin, and vulgar behavior. It's offensive to an adult let alone a family friendly show. And our world today with all of the misery worldwide why was anybody produces show with so much violence vulgarity and unhappiness. We escaped to our televisions to escape the world if only for a few hours we definitely don't want to watch more misery.
See all 80 parent reviews

What's the Story?

YELLOWSTONE is a dramatic series about John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and his fight to preserve his way of life on a ranch in Montana. Dutton controls everything that happens on Yellowstone Ranch, and does everything he can to control what happens around it. When developers like Dan Jenkins (Danny Huston) attempt to modernize the area, Dutton relies on his insider connections with town, city, and state officials, and enlists the help of son Jamie (Wes Bentley), the family lawyer, and his ruthless daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly). Meanwhile, he worries that his oldest son, Lee (David Annable), is incapable of fully managing the ranch, especially now that the tension between their family and the nearby reservation, headed up by tribal governor Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham), is escalating. The growing conflict is also putting the patriarch's youngest son, Cory (Luke Grimes), his Native American wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), and their son in a very difficult position. What follows is a series of events that will either lead to the continued success of the ranch, or to its eventual downfall.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (80 ):
Kids say (13 ):

This mildly entertaining series intertwines traditional Wild West conflicts and contemporary themes to create a complicated modern story set against a rugged backdrop. Ranchers feud with the Native American community over land and cattle, locals struggle to keep urban expansion at bay, and folks take the law into their own hands to settle disputes -- and then there are the personal struggles the individual Dutton children have in their own lives, including the predictable issues they have with their father.

There's constant turmoil, but Yellowstone doesn't offer a clear picture of whose side the audience should be taking. John Dutton is only fairly likable, and is stopped by little when protecting his own interests. His children aren't particularly amiable or ethical, nor are many of the other characters. Viewers who tune in may find the family drama interesting enough, but if you're looking for a good contemporary spin on a classic Western, this isn't it.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about power. What are some different ways people exercise power and settle disputes throughout the series? Are the tactics used to resolve conflicts appropriate, even if people believe it is for a nobler cause?

  • Yellowstone is heavily influenced by classic Hollywood Westerns. Do you think it's a Western itself? Or is it a dramatic series that happens to have cowboys and Native Americans in it? What's the difference?

TV Details

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