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Taking Stock of the Shows Aiming to Become the 'Next Yellowstone' [1]
['Keith Roysdon', 'The Daily Yonder', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar']
Date: 2024-11-28
Editor’s Note: A version of this story first appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy, a newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, retrospectives, recommendations, and more. You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article to receive future editions in your inbox.
“Yellowstone” returned for the back half of its final season – final as far as we know – on November 10. The series, which stars Kevin Costner as a Montana rancher who struggles to keep firm reigns on his family, has been one of the biggest hits on television since it debuted on the Paramount Network in 2018.
But there’s since been a parting of the ways between co-creator Taylor Sheridan and Costner, which has led to speculation that Costner won’t be in the final few episodes of the fifth season – even that his John Dutton character might be killed off.
An official trailer for the final season of ‘Yellowstone’ (via Yellowstone on YouTube).
While the future of the show is less clear than a beautiful Montana sky, it is apparent that several “Yellowstone” imitators and would-be successors are now airing or soon coming our way. The success of the series and the shakeup now bringing it to a close lit a prairie fire under other studios, producers, networks, and streaming services to find “the next ‘Yellowstone’” (which in itself could be described as “the next ‘Dallas’” for its mix of high-powered family and business drama, much of it set against beautiful backdrops).
Ultimately, it’s good news for those who enjoy the ranch-oriented aspects of “Yellowstone,” because these copycat series are populated by good-looking cowboys and cowgirls in fitted, boot-cut jeans, rambling across scenic locales on horseback and bedding other comely cowfolks.
Texas TV
Among all the would-be successors, the most star-studded might be “Landman,” a new series from Sheridan himself and co-creator Christian Wallace, based on Wallace’s podcast “Boomtown.” “Landman” debuted November 17 on Paramount Plus.
“Boomtown” is a narrative podcast about Big Oil in Texas – the world of “Dallas,” of course – and Sheridan announced he would adapt “Boomtown” as a fictional series in 2022. That adaptation is “Landman.”
An official trailer for ‘Landman’ (via Paramount Plus on YouTube).
Billy Bob Thornton stars as an oil company veteran and Ali Larter plays his ex-wife, with supporting characters played by Demi Moore and Jon Hamm. Sheridan wrote the first 10 episodes. The previews showcase high-risk oil-drilling, hard-drinking leads, gunplay, and a buxom blonde, so “Yellowstone” viewers should feel right at home.
Luckily, Texas is a big state, because in 2025, the Netflix series “Ransom Canyon” debuts as that streaming service’s bid to join the “Yellowstone” trend. Josh Duhamel stars as the owner of the Double K ranch. Minka Kelly plays a musician and James Brolin plays a rival ranch owner.
Down Under and All Over
“Territory” might be the best of the “Yellowstone”-likes that’s already arrived. It has some of the same elements: a struggling ranch in danger of being scooped up by enemies, a domineering patriarch who lost his heir apparent, a strong-willed daughter figure, and a weak-willed second son.
The big difference in “Territory” is that the six-episode Netflix series is set and filmed in Australia and stars some big-name players who viewers might not realize are from Down Under and New Zealand, including Anna Torv (“Fringe”), Robert Taylor (“Longmire”), and Michael Dorman (“Joe Pickett” himself and Gordo Cooper from “For All Mankind”).
An official trailer for ‘Territory’ (via Netflix on YouTube).
Meanwhile, the only thing that TV loves more than imitation is inexpensive imitation and there’s nothing cheaper than a reality series, with a cast of unknowns ostensibly playing themselves while cameras roll.
“The Wranglers,” airing on the CW network, is about a pretty group of 20-somethings working on a Montana dude ranch. The plotlines of the series, besides the whole “cute people in fitted boot cut jeans trying to bed other cute people in fitted boot cut jeans,” revolve around who will be named head wrangler of the ranch.
A preview of ‘The Wranglers’ (via WCWG-The Triad CW on YouTube).
In the opening credits of “The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys,” a glimpse of a newspaper headline, “McBee Farm Raided by FBI,” is shown. By pausing the credits, you can read a little bit of the article, seemingly from the local newspaper, the North Missourian. After a recap of how powerful local rancher and farmer Steve McBee is, the article notes that the raid was the result of a search warrant for “illegal drugs they have allegedly been selling on the black market for the past eight years.”
Not a lot else is visible, and in those credits, McBee refers to his family having many enemies. The producers of the reality series, streaming on Peacock, obviously felt the family’s run-in with the feds added to the outlaw appeal of the series. The newspaper pictured apparently stopped publishing, at least print editions and possibly online editions, before the reputed raid, but a local TV newsroom since reported on McBee pleading guilty to a more mundane but still sizable case of crop insurance fraud in federal court.
The series tries hard to evoke memories of “Yellowstone,” with its besieged rancher and his sons and his Russian mail-order girlfriend – yes, you read that right – but I came away thinking the whole scenario was suspect. I’d watch episodes of “The Wranglers” before I’d watch more of this one.
An official trailer for ‘The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys’ (via Peacock on YouTube).
Sequels and Spinoffs
Those are among the most visible of the “Yellowstone” wannabes, but what about official follow-ups to the show itself?
Sheridan has been making numerous series that explore the early days of the Dutton family, including “1883” and “1923.” There’s another prequel series that’s been announced called “1944.”
What about series that continue the modern-day storyline? I haven’t read much lately about the status of “6666” or “Four Sixes,” the Texas-set “Yellowstone” spin-off featuring cowboy Jimmy (Jefferson White), who left the flagship series and moved to Texas.
As for a more direct Dutton Ranch follow-up, Michelle Pfeiffer is set to star in what was originally announced as “2024” but is now titled “The Madison” and features a New York family in the Madison River Valley of Montana. The series, which was once rumored to star Matthew McConaughey, will include some Dutton family members.
In any case, “Yellowstone” fans won’t soon run out of cowboys and cowgirls to cheer on.
Keith Roysdon is a Tennessee-based writer of fiction, true crime, and pop culture.
This article first appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, recommendations, retrospectives, and more. Join the mailing list today to have future editions delivered straight to your inbox.
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