How accurate is Taylor Sheridan’s western show?

Taylor Sheridan’s modern western Yellowstone has not only led the revival of the revived western genre, but is also one of the most successful television series of our modern times. The great success of the series and its influence on the real locations has led some to question how realistic Yellowstone‘s portrayal of ranch life. It definitely looks authentic when viewed YellowstoneSeason 5, Part 2 will hit the television screen soon, but that doesn’t mean it’s truthful.

Yellowstonestarring the late Kevin Costner, tells the story of the feuding Dutton family, led by John Dutton, patriarch and owner of Yellowstone Ranch in Montana, the largest ranch in the state. The Duttons battle with each other, land developers, tribal nations and others to keep their ranch intact as the modern world threatens to destroy their traditional way of life. There are some things that Yellowstone is right about livestock farming, particularly the Duttons’ pride in their ranch and working on the land. However, many elements are exaggerated for the show and do not reflect real life at all.

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Yellowstone is not based on a specific true story – but has real inspiration

Ranches are passed down from generation to generation

Naturally, Yellowstone is not an adaptation of a true story. The Duttons are fictional characters and their story is also entirely fictional. Their story and family dynamics could have been taken directly from any ranching family in America. Just like YellowstoneAs the characters in The Ranches demonstrate, ranching is a family business that is passed down from generation to generation. Depending on the size and success of the ranch, this can mean quite a bit of money flowing back and forth, and a ranching family can become quite wealthy in just a few generations, although this is very rare.

Working closely with family can cause friction. While the Duttons’ drama is exaggerated for a television soap opera, real ranching families can clash, argue over arguments and have different ideas about how best to run the family business. There is no separation between family and business, or between business and home; everything is intertwined. That’s a recipe for tension and can certainly cause rifts in relationships. Still, the drama of Yellowstone is more exaggerated than reality.

The Dutton family ranch in the Yellowstone area is largely realistic

Creator Taylor Sheridan has a background in cattle ranching

The most realistic part of Yellowstone is the Dutton family ranch itself. Although he does not often appear in front of a microphone or camera, Creator Taylor Sheridan has spoken in the past about how much time he spent on a ranch as a childa ranch his mother had bought in Cranfills Gap, Texas, so her children could learn to be part of nature. Sheridan grew up on the ranch for a time and spent weekends of his teenage years tending and riding horses. The authentic feeling of YellowstoneSheridan owes his life on the ranch to the fact that he experienced it.

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This is reflected in the small details of the show. In an interview with Variety, rancher Jessie Jarvis explained that a number of things about Yellowstone are accurate, right down to the clothing brands they wear: Kimes Ranch clothing, as well as Greeley Hat and American Hat, are all genuine brands that ranchers trust. Riding is also very lifelike. When you watch, Yellowstoneyou may notice scenes where riders in the background lead horses through steps in the arena; these steps are called reining patterns and they are all performed by real riders, not actors.

Some of the biggest fights in Yellowstone are lifelike

Land loss and real estate development are real problems for American ranchers

Yellowstone is not a show without drama, both inside and outside the Duttons. In the same interview, Jarvis mentioned that the Duttons’ struggles are true to real life, so much so that it is sometimes hard for her to watch because it was impossible to escape the problems of her own ranch life when she watched the show. Central to this and a theme that has been around long before Yellowstone Bring light into the darkness, is the loss of land and the impact of land grabbing. The population is growing and constantly moving, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for the cattle-raising families to keep their large landholdings intact.

The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated this struggle. As has been outlined in numerous articles and news reports during the pandemic, many people, especially young professionals, fled city life for quieter mountain towns and more rural areas. Sometimes this was beneficial for a city, bringing more money and more business to struggling locations. But sometimes it was A conflict arises between ranchers and land developers as the former fight to retain their land from the latter. Finding a balance between resource development and agricultural land use is difficult, and across America, ranches and farms are losing that battle.

Interesting, It can be argued that the success of Yellowstone itself accelerates this land loss. As the podcast Outside/In explores, there is anecdotal (and perhaps some data-backed) evidence that the show’s portrayal of the American West entices wealthy businessmen and others to move to Montana in the hopes of living out their rugged ranching fantasies. Since 2018, when Yellowstone When it first aired, property prices across the state more than doubled. While this may be a coincidence, it wouldn’t be the first time that a TV show or film with above-average success triggered a whole tourism explosion or caused a population shift – just look at what happened to New Zealand after Lord of the rings to the cinemas or to Dubrovnik, Croatia game of Thrones.

Yellowstone invents a lot of things for television

Ranchers are never as rich as the Duttons

As exactly as many Yellowstone is still a fictionalized drama about life on the ranch, and that is, certain things are embellished, if not completely invented. The first reason is the wealth of the Dutton family. Although some ranching families can be quite wealthy, as mentioned above, that is the very rare exception, not the rule. The Duttons have a helicopter – something most families, let alone ranching families, don’t have. Likewise, the high-end equipment the Duttons have is not necessarily the kind of equipment – expensive trucks and trailers and the like – that most ranches use. Real ranching is more strenuous, less lucrative, and harder to make a living than Yellowstone shows.

The violence of Yellowstone is also sometimes cartoonishly exaggerated and simply not realistic. The level of physical violence in the series between feuding ranchers and family members may have been somewhat true in the more lawless times of the 1960s and 70s in the American West, but today it is simply no longer accurate. The characters of Yellowstone seem to be taking a “shoot first, ask questions later” approach to countering the constant threats, but The reality is that the problems of ranchers are less likely to be solved with a bullet; government support, balanced land use and addressing climate change are more helpful methods to solve problems.

By far the most problematic element Yellowstone is the portrayal of Native Americans. This has long been a point of criticism of Taylor Sheridan’s projects, be it the portrayal of Mexicans in Sicario or Indians in Yellowstone.Sheridan’s scripts are viewed through a very white lens that tends to exclude and trivialize non-white charactersif they appear in any significant way in his scripts. In Sheridan’s YellowstoneMight creates right, and white, above all, creates power.

The show dealt well with issues such as land rights and tribal sovereignty, but other indigenous peoples have pointed out Yellowstonewith stereotypes and inauthentic tribal politics. Yellowstone is surprisingly honest – but always remember that the film is told from a Hollywood perspective, which means that sometimes it is not so honest.

Sources: Variety, Outside/In

Yellowstone

3.5

Yellowstone stars Kevin Costner and focuses on his character John Dutton. Dutton and his family live on a cattle ranch just hours from Yellowstone National Park. The series tells the story of the family’s struggle to defend their home from an Indian reservation and land developers. As if their lives weren’t complicated enough, the Duttons also have to deal with health problems, political ambitions and family secrets.

Pour

Kevin Costner, Finn Little, Brecken Merrill, Gil Birmingham, Denim Richards, Ian Bohen, Danny Huston, Kelly Reilly, Forrie J. Smith, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Wes Bentley, Jefferson White, Luke Grimes, Ryan Bingham

Release date

20 June 2018

Seasons

5

Franchise(s)

Yellowstone

Authors

Taylor Sheridan, John Linson

Showrunner

Sarah Sheridan

Creator

Taylor Sheridan, John Linson

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