Yellowstone: Season Five

By: Lily Jepsen

Yellowstone is one of the most popular shows on television at the moment. Yellowstone first aired in 2018 and currently has four seasons. The show began airing its fifth season on November 13th, 2022, and there are currently four episodes released. The show is highly rated, with 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 8.7/10 on IMDb. Some of the cast includes Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler, Wes Bentley as Jamie Dutton, and Gil Birmingham as Chief Thomas Rainwater.

Set in present-day Montana, this western drama stars Kevin Costner as John Dutton, who carries on the legacy of possessing the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, the largest ranch in the state of Montana. Along with his son Kayce (Luke Grimes) and his daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly), the show follows the financial and political challenges John Dutton faces to keep his ranch. The series starts with the death of John’s oldest son Lee, who was fatally shot in an attempt to acquire stolen cattle. 

The Dutton family faces a lot of backlash for how much acreage the family owns, especially from the Native Americans featured in the show, who we also get a perspective from. The Native Americans and the cowboys feud with each other as well, fighting over who owns the land the ranch dwells on currently. Of course, the Dutton family begs to differ; The Native Americans try to take ownership of the land but are overthrown and eventually become the ranch’s ally. The show proceeds to unveil many other events and tribulations that affect the characters in the show. 

I really enjoy this series, though it may be intense at times. Its western aspect while still connecting with today’s reality really makes it easy for me to watch because it relates to some of the situations we are experiencing and seeing today.