21/23

Smith, who plays Lloyd, is experienced in the world of rodeo

Chronology

A family of ranchers in Montana face off against others who encroach on their land. Forry J. John Dutton (Kevin Costner) often seems to “forget” his Montanan accent and reverts to the SoCal speaking voice he usually uses. Featured on WatchMojo: Top 10 Summer TV Shows That Aren’t on Your Radar (2018).

Another from a neighboring Native reservation wants to reclaim some of their land and livestock

This series has been on the air since 2018, but this is my first time watching it. I finished the first episode of the first season last night, and it’s almost 90 minutes long. As we get introduced to the Dutton family, we see that they have a strong influence in their valley, but they are fighting off “invasions.” One of the developers wants to build condos. To help with all this and the sprawling ranch, Dutton (played authentically by a 60-year-old Kevin Costner) has several grown cowboy sons and a helicopter with a dedicated pilot.

"1883" which is a prequel of sorts

The reason I watched the first episode of the first season (streaming on Peacock). It was (fictionally) 1883 when the Dutton family from Tennessee joined a larger group to travel from Fort Worth, Texas to “somewhere out West.” They must have stopped when they reached Montana. Again, this is all fiction, but if we look at the men’s ages and the fact that Costner was born in 1955, his character would probably be the great-grandson of the Dutton patriarch (played by Tim McGraw) in 1883. For example.

With sons born around 1875, 1900, 1925 and 1950

"Yellowstone" is a really good series, the actors are all first class, the cinematography and sound are excellent. It’s just not the kind of show I can get invested in and keep watching. It’s hard to find characters with redeeming qualities, and I really don’t enjoy shows that are constantly focused on arguments and fights, and often killing. Now in my 70s I prefer to spend my time watching "feel good" stories.

NB – "1883" is a really subtle and interesting series that authentically portrays the great hardships of uprooting and traveling through unknown territories to try to find a new life in a new place