'Yellowstone' cast explain the 'secret sauce' that drove the show's massive fame: "There's something..."
'Yellowstone' returned in November 2024 to deliver its final season. With 16 million reported viewers, the show didn't lose its appeal despite the two-year break. Speaking to Business Insider ahead of the return, several cast members shared their thoughts on why the series had become one of America's most popular.
'Yellowstone,' which first aired in 2018, was part of a new wave of Western dramas that had proved popular. "The whole Western genre has had such a big moment recently, and our show has something to do with that," actor Luke Grimes (who played Kayce Dutton on the show) opined. Grimes claimed 'Yellowstone' had something that distinguished it from others in the genre—creator Taylor Sheridan, whom he dubbed "the best writer for this genre that has ever existed." Other neo-westerns that had proved a hit with audiences included 'Outer Range,' 'Joe Pickett,' and Sheridan's franchise expansions, '1923,' and '1883.' Additionally, Grimes opined that the COVID-19 pandemic might have also helped draw more viewers as it offered an escape to "the most beautiful places [one] can imagine" for all those stuck inside.
Kelsey Asbille, who played Monica Dutton, an Indigenous character who married into the central Dutton family, said the show's success was partly thanks to its ability to resonate with so many different people. She stressed, "I think that there's something very human about it where it's looking forward and backward with the same glance," adding that she found its popularity 'kind of mind-boggling.' "I think that's maybe the secret sauce," Asbille opined. Meanwhile, for Wes Bentley, who played Jamie Dutton, Kevin Costner's character John Dutton's adopted son, it was Sheridan's ability to tap into the American mindset that had helped reel in audiences. "I think there is something that Taylor understands about the American psyche, or at least this kind of American psyche," Bentley argued.
He explained, "I didn't really understand it at first, and a lot of people don't, but he's tapping into a feeling that is drawing some of that out...It's just got a lot of depth and a lot of complexity. It's not an easy show to pinpoint because of that." Some had attempted to explain the series' success by painting 'Yellowstone' as a 'Red State Game of Thrones' that appealed mainly to conservatives. But Sheridan pushed back on that idea. He remarked, "They refer to it as 'the conservative show' or 'the Republican show' or 'the red-state Game of Thrones.' ...And I just sit back laughing. I'm like, 'Really?'"
Sheridan's 'Yellowstone' universe continues to expand with the upcoming spinoff, 'The Madison.' Set in the present day, this series follows a New York family settling in Montana's Madison River valley, offering a heartfelt exploration of grief and human connection. The cast features Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Fox, with the former also serving as a producer, as reported by Esquire.
