Delivering entertainment that is character-rooted and stands the test of age is what we do. Kevin Costner has more to his name than just a little bit of experienceIt stands to reason. YellowstoneCould be one of his. Most famous and most iconic works. You might not believe that would happen in a show where tantric sexuality is discussed at the dinner tables, but it happens. In Costner’s mind (and he’s not alone), one of Yellowstone’s biggest draws is the characters’ authenticity, which derives from co-creator Taylor Sheridan’s writing mastery and his intentional avoidance of genre tropes and clichés within his narratives. The Paramount Network Neo-Western is not realistic. Even some of his fans seemed to miss the memo.
The Main Way Yellowstone Isn’t Realistic, Per Kevin Costner
The following are the Highly complicated relationships among members of the Dutton Family to the ways the Yellowstone’s most loyal employees handle themselves on the ranch, Kevin Costner clearly views this corner of Taylor Sheridan’s universe as being the real McCoy, as it were. (The actor was awarded his only Lead Actor Emmy in recognition of playing Devil Anse Hatfield. Hatfields & McCoys.) However, we were able to discuss this in a conversation with cast members in a group interview moderated and moderated by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation ahead of this year’s awards ceremony, Costner shared what he thinks the least realistic element of the show is, saying:
No one wants to be a cliche in anything, whether it’s your personal life or anything, and so I think we really avoided that. In many ways, it’s not realistic to murder so many people. That’s a function of heightened television and all that, but if you strip that part away that kind of has to be there in the level of entertainment with how broad you can go, everything reduces itself down.
When it comes down to it, the Duttons aren’t completely unlike tons of families in the U.S. and beyond, by way of sibling rivalries and parental protection and inherited traumas. Of course, most families don’t handle their biggest issues by putting bullets in them and dumping them across state lines. But then again, most families don’t have to deal with dick-headed monsters like the Beck brothers and Wade Morrow, so who’s to know just how much realism was invested in those characters’ deaths?
Kevin Costner is well aware that fans tune into his show. Yellowstone to see those kinds of pulse-punding moments, but he also believes that it’s the more genuine moments between the characters out in gorgeous landscapes that keep veiwers fully engaged even when the bullets aren’t flying.
Kevin Costner Listens to Yellowstone Fans A Lot
While in the middle of making the above point, Kevin Costner interrupted himself to bring up how his fans aren’t always so great about separating the real-life actor from the characters he plays. While I doubt anyone would mistakenly identify him as being the actual adopted father of Earth’s greatest superhero, Costner apparently does frequently hear from fans who aren’t so quick to viewing the actor as being mutually exclusive from John Dutton, at least when it comes to Kelly Reilly’s firecracker Beth. Here’s how he put it:
People have come up to me and said, ‘What are you gonna do about Beth?’And it was as if, ‘What?’ [Laughs.] They either want to know how to meet her, or they want to know what I’m going to do about her.
It is reasonable to assume that Kevin Costner was being asked about his interactions with people. “Beth”They are self-aware and only want to see what happens on the show. That said, I kinda like the idea of someone watching this year’s Oscars ceremony and wondering why John Dutton was invited to introduce a segment on West Side Story. And I’d also be curious to see a pack of wildly misguided Yellowstone universe superfans taking a historical pilgrimage across the country following the route taken by Tim McGraw’s James Dutton and Sam Elliott’s Shea Brennan in Paramount+’s 1883It was believed to be as accurate as the researchable stories from Oregon Trail.
For now, however, reality is not so bad. Yellowstone fans is that we’re currently in a drought, with 1883The company will be closing down in January, possibly for good. There aren’t any release windows confirmed for future spinoffs. 6666And 1932, and a presumed first for Season 5, Teeter-filledLater in the fall. Bis dahin, Peacock can stream all four seasonsPurchased on Blu-ray or DVD