The first national farm in America threatened by land developers and Indian reservation, trying to make it the first national park in America. Everyone is trying to deal with the different ramifications of the issue and to face the responsibilities that may be a burden on them.
If all involved manage to keep combining old-style entertainment with up-to-the-minute awareness, this will be one of the most satisfying series of the summer.
Fist-clenching may be a novel approach, also a self-negating one, and Yellowstone -- good writing, solid cast, nice views aside -- can also be a bummer at times.
So far, I've only seen the ninety-minute first episode, but Yellowstone, while starting out a little rocky, seems like it's going to be a fun, highly watchable show.
Future episodes offer more surprises and deepen the characters -- flashbacks help establish why Beth is the way she is -- making Yellowstone an enticing summer diversion.
It's a high-profile debut, but so far, the show seems more like a writing exercise for Sheridan, who slam-dunked his first three movies and now wants to see if he can do the same with an entire TV series.
Costner's a master at engendering sympathy for potentially unsympathetic positions - did I mention how good he looks on a horse? - and Yellowstone isn't subtle in setting up the opposition, casting Danny Huston...
