Yellowstone, the modern-day Western starring Kevin Costner, is one of the most popular shows right now. The series, which just wrapped up its fourth season, follows Costner's John Dutton as he fights to preserve his family's way of life on a sprawling ranch in Montana's Paradise Valley. The action-packed drama has captured the attention of Americans across the country—many of them in small-market towns and cities in "flyover" states.
The show's popularity—with its sometimes corny dialogue and Middle America–focused themes—has media elites scratching their heads. Vox called it "a watchable yet almost relentlessly three-out-of-five-stars TV show" and lamented that it "is not particularly interested in saying anything grand or sweeping about the world." HBO's Succession, which has a similar family business legacy theme, is an Emmy-winning darling of media critics, but it draws only a fraction of Yellowstone's viewership. Just 1.7 million viewers tuned in to Succession's season finale last month, compared to more than 11 million for Yellowstone's. A Yellowstone prequel starring Tim McGraw and Faith Hill that debuted last month, 1883, drew nearly 5 million viewers, making it the largest cable premiere since 2015.
