With the surge in obsession with the Neo-Western cable series Yellowstone came the growing curiosity if it was adapted from a book. There were also questions about whether the characters were actually based on a real-life family in American history. And did they really live a seemingly never-ending dramatic life? People also wondered if the Yellowstone ranch was a real ranch.
And here are the rapid-fire answers: No, it wasn’t adapted. Yellowstone was an original idea crafted by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson. The characters are purely fictional, BUT of course, tons of research into the history and casting stellar actors and actual cowboys into the show gave it its authentic vibe. Additionally, while the Yellowstone ranch isn’t true-to-life, it’s filmed on a real ranch in Montana.
So come with us – we know you’re way too intrigued at this point – and let’s take a deep dive into the making of the Dutton universe.
Introducing the Dutton Universe
Yellowstone, which premiered on TV in June 2018 under Paramount, chronicles the Dutton family led by John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and his struggle to keep his family together and protect the land their ancestors have defended for generations against outside forces: the Broken Rock Indian Reservation who want to build a casino on the land bordering their ranch and the land developers from California and New York who want to turn the vast acres of the ranch into a city hotspot.
Set in a Neo-Western world, the series immediately pulled viewers from the American Midwest. Not only because of how the show portrayed the cowboy culture – something that has been largely underrepresented in mainstream TV – and stayed authentic but as well as the examination of the issues and challenges of running a ranch in the 21st century. On top of that, its complex and intense drama combined with manipulative power plays, including corruption, shifting alliances, and bloody murders, gave the show a more gripping narrative.
Is Yellowstone based on a book?
As we’ve mentioned earlier, the answer is no. The series was created by Taylor Sheridan, the creative genius behind Sicario (2015), Hell or High Water (2016), and Wind River (2017), and producer John Linson. Sheridan initially sold it to HBO, but it didn’t pan out. Fortunately for him, it was saved and championed by former child actor turned Weinstein Company executive David Glasser. He helped Sheridan pry the original script from HBO and present it to different suitors. Years later, it finally attracted a committed interest from Viacom, who was then preparing to launch its new cable channel, the Paramount network. They were looking for an original screenplay for the channel, and they wanted Yellowstone.
The Writing Process
Taylor Sheridan’s writing process, in general, was unconventional. In an interview with Deadline, Sheridan admitted that he didn’t know how to make a TV show, and he never really bothered to learn. “Maybe this is coming from a bit of a place of ignorance because I’ve never been in a writers room, but there are certain tropes and structures that TV shows have relied on for a really, really long time,” he said. “Certain buttons and A stories and B stories that you can drop into any show, I don’t do that.”
His style was to sit down and write 10-hour-long movies with no act break and no outlines, just like ‘a bizarre stream of consciousness’ flowing. Then go ahead and shoot them afterward. For him, that way, everybody knows what they’re doing all the way through.
Though this strategy was not entirely unheard of and was actually inspired by the first season of True Detective (2014), directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and created by Nic Pizzolatto. “What Cary did, I am doing,” Sheridan noted. He also added that he had been working with the same crew since 2017, and it has worked every time.
Inspiration Behind Yellowstone
For Yellowstone, Sheridan shared that it was inspired by two things: his own experience as a Texan rancher and the changes he has seen in the western mountain states like Wyoming, where he lived for some time, and Montana, where the series is currently filming.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2018, he pointed out the real issues of land development, resource mismanagement, oppression and extreme poverty, and inequity in government and how amplified the consequences are in smaller settings. He continued, “When you start seeing Costcos in a landscape of farms and ranches, it’s much more dramatic than if they jam one in the San Fernando Valley.”
Sheridan also expressed the ‘gentrification’ he’s seen in the West, seeding the conflicts in the story. In his conversation with Mike Fleming Jr. for Deadline, he noted, “I placed the white rancher in the position that the Native Americans were in 100-plus years ago because that is accurate to what’s taking place in what you can call the gentrification of the West right now.” He continued, “It is the most American of us, the West, and land developers sell that fantasy. And people who can afford the fantasy are very, very wealthy people from LA to New York, Dallas, and Florida. They buy their slice of it and use it for a weekend getaway.” And ultimately, in that process, the land values and inheritance taxes kill off a way of life.
Inspiration Behind the Characters
There are no real-life Duttons, but John Dutton may have been inspired – though not confirmed with Sheridan – by American rancher and philanthropist W.T. Waggoner. According to sources, the 510,000-acre Waggoner Ranch, established in 1849, holds the title of America’s biggest ranch, which was a title also held by the Yellowstone ranch in the series. And much like John Dutton and his family, W.T. Waggoner was also obsessed with keeping the ranch family-owned. In fact, it remained under their name for two centuries until it was sold in 2015. A more modern name that may strike as John Dutton would be Bill Galt, who owns the 248,000-acre Galt Ranch in Montana. Dubbed “The Last American Cowboy,” Galt was known to keep his eye on his ranch using a helicopter and take meetings with politicians in between cattle drives.
But the authenticity of John’s character is largely credited to Costner. According to the actor, his father, William Costner, was ‘a fistfighting, single-minded tough guy coming out of the Dust Bowl in the Great Depression’ and the 30-30 rifle he uses on the show was his. “When I put it up to my cheek, my dad’s right there. I know what it’s like to be a person that’s kind of a John Dutton—minus the murder.”
Aside from the script and Costner leading the cast, the show’s believability rests with Sheridan’s active choice to consult with horse trainers and cast real-life cowboys, including Jake Ream, Forrie J. Smith, Ryan Bingham, and Ethan Lee.
The Success
The numbers can’t lie: Yellowstone has achieved undeniable success with audiences, delivering Paramount network a ‘ratings phenomenon.’ According to Samba TV, Yellowstone earned a cumulative viewership of 12.1 million live-plus-same-day viewers on its Season 5 pilot, making it the top scripted series premiere of 2022 and the biggest launch of the series. Not to mention that it was also accumulating double-digit ratings across all demographics.
Although that popularity didn’t quite translate with critics or awards. Nevertheless, Taylor Sheridan was unbothered simply because he made it for the people who live that life and nobody else. And he did what he wanted. He broke a lot of story rules and jumped plots ahead for no reason except for the entertainment value.
“But that’s what I love about Yellowstone, the way that it flows from being campy to melodramatic to intensely dramatic to violent. It’s every old western and new western and soap opera thrown together in a blender. And yes, I think it infuriates and confounds some people who study storytelling. They don’t understand why this thing’s such a hit.”
But he knew exactly why his show was and remained to be a hit. It’s the wicked acting by a powerhouse cast and the fascinating scenery that offers a glimpse into a world that is rarely seen by the people.
Yellowstone’s charm rests on the fact that it is not bounded by any concept like a book and that Sheridan is free to take the reins to navigate the world as he sees fit. So, if you’re not watching it yet, then this is your sign.
