The Worst Yellowstone Season, According To Rotten Tomatoes

The "Yellowstone" phenomenon is quite fascinating. While studios and networks floundered attempting to recreate the lightning-in-a-bottle-success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the 2010s (including, gulp, Marvel Studios itself), Taylor Sheridan went off and launched his own interconnected media universe like it was no big deal. Having already released multiple spin-offs with even more on the way after its parent series (maybe) wraps up with "Yellowstone" season 5, part 2, the greater saga of the Dutton family has proven to be a viewership bonanza on the level with the various Western series that dominated the TV landscape back in the 1960s and '70s. (Suffice it to say, Boomer nostalgia for that era of television probably has something to do with the show's popularity.)

For as much as "Yellowstone" has thrived at getting people to watch it, though, it's never exactly been a critical darling. Some of the show's fans blame that on the neo-Western's perceived politics, which, like those for Sheridan-scripted films such as "Sicario" and "Hell or High Water," are more complicated than you might assume. (For more on that, check out Andrea Long Chu's excellent article "How the Cowboy Was Colonized.") Sheridan, on the other hand, is pretty forthright about the story of the Duttons and their efforts to maintain control of their Montana ranch being a smorgasbord of sudsy, soapy small screen tropes. Even Sam Elliott, who starred in the "Yellowstone" prequel/spin-off "1883," has accused the show of essentially being "Dallas" for people who've never actually seen "Dallas."

Far from being deterred, Sheridan (who has written or co-written every single episode of "Yellowstone") has only doubled down on his methods as the series has gone along — something that also explains why season 1 is easily the show's lowest-ranked among critics.

If you're still tuning into "Yellowstone" after nearly five seasons of the Duttons in-fighting and waxing philosophical about their clan's bloody legacy (all the while warding off their shared enemies), it's reasonable to assume you actually enjoy Sheridan's familial drama. The same goes for those who took the time to review the series after season 1. Case in point, season 2 through season 5 are all comfortably in "Fresh" territory on Rotten Tomatoes when it comes to their critics' scores, with season 5 having even been "Certified Fresh." Be that as it may, season 1 only has a 57 percent score and a slightly lower 54 percent rating among top critics on the website (with an average grade of 5.4 out of 10).

Why the change? For the most part, it doesn't appear that critics feel "Yellowstone" had a significant glow-up after season 1. Rather, it seems that Sheridan, along with the rest of his cast and crew, simply became more assured and less apologetic about the kind of show they were making in the first place, and critics reacted accordingly. If anything, it's funny to look back and read the website's original critics consensus for season 1, which argues that the series is "too melodramatic to be taken seriously, diminishing the effects of the talented cast and beautiful backdrops." As anyone who watches "Yellowstone" for their own viewing pleasure these days could tell you, it's now generally recognized that the show's melodrama is more of a feature than a bug.

With series mainstay Kevin Costner not reprising his role as the patriarch John Dutton III for the second half of "Yellowstone" season 5 (and whatever may or may come after that, should the rumors of a sixth season pan out), there's certainly a risk it will throw off the alchemy the show has refined over the course of its run. Then again, trouble on the Duttons' ranch isn't anything out the ordinary, is it?

"Yellowstone" season 5, part 2 premieres November 10, 2024, on Paramount Network.