Welcome Back to Yellowstone

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Yellowstone Official Podcast – "Welcome Back to Yellowstone"

Introduction

In the premiere episode of Season 5, hosted by Jefferson White and Jen Landon, The Yellowstone Official Podcast delves deep into the resurgence of the beloved series. Celebrating the Season 5 premiere, the hosts bring listeners an exclusive CBS Sunday Morning interview featuring key figures like Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan, shedding light on the intricate world of Yellowstone and its expanding universe.

Hosts and Special Guests

• Jefferson White ("Jimmy"): Plays Jimmy Hurdstrom on Yellowstone and serves as the host for the podcast.
• Jen Landon ("Teeter"): Co-host alongside Jefferson, guiding listeners through the behind-the-scenes narratives.
• Special Guests: Includes cast members, industry experts, and celebrity superfans who provide unique perspectives on the series.

Highlights from the CBS Sunday Morning Interview

Jefferson White kicks off the episode by expressing his excitement about the return of Yellowstone. He introduces a recent interview from CBS Sunday Morning featuring Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan, the creative force behind the series and its prequels.

Kevin Costner’s Insights on Production and Character Development

Kevin Costner discusses the practical aspects of filming, emphasizing the importance of making productions "a little convenient" (01:11). He highlights the show's success, noting, “Yellowstone was the most watched scripted series in all of television last year” (01:20).

John Dutton's Legacy and Loyalty

Costner delves into his character, John Dutton, portraying him as a man torn between past and present:

“This is America. We don't share land here.”
“If you betray me again, you're dead to me, son. You understand?”
– Kevin Costner (02:10, 02:22)

These quotes illustrate Dutton's deep-rooted connection to his land and unwavering loyalty to his family, underscoring the show's central themes.

Taylor Sheridan: The Mastermind Behind Yellowstone

Authenticity in Storytelling

Taylor Sheridan, co-creator and writer, is praised for his authentic portrayal of the American West. Lee Cowan remarks:

“You have to know that world to write it with any real sense of authority, and few can do that.”
– Lee Cowan (03:30)

Sheridan’s dedication to authenticity is evident in his personal investment in ranching and horse training:

“All the horses, for the most part in our business, are terrible. [...] So I bought all the horses for the show and then taught the actors how to ride it.”
– Taylor Sheridan (05:32)

Overcoming Hollywood's Doubts

Sheridan's journey from aspiring actor to acclaimed writer is a testament to his perseverance. After years of struggling in acting, a pivotal moment came when he was encouraged to write:

“First thing that I wrote was Mayor of Kingstown. And I sat down and I wrote the first episode in about 10 hours.”
– Taylor Sheridan (07:08)

His subsequent works, including Sicario, Wind River, and the Oscar-nominated Hell or High Water, cemented his reputation as a formidable Western storyteller.

Challenges in Reviving the Western Genre

Despite skepticism about the viability of Westerns on television, Sheridan and the Yellowstone team broke the mold. Chris McCarthy, Paramount Network president and CEO of MTV Entertainment, emphasized the show's universal appeal:

“There's very few times where my 18 year old niece and my 80 year old aunt asked me about the same show. And you know, this was one of those moments and when you see the entire world, you get it.”
– Chris McCarthy (08:28)

Sheridan's ability to craft complex characters and storylines that resonate across generations played a crucial role in Yellowstone's success.

Production Insights: Creating an Immersive World

Taylor Sheridan's Ranching Expertise

Owning two ranches in Texas and providing the horses for the productions, Sheridan ensures authenticity on set. His hands-on approach extends to training actors, allowing for more realistic performances:

“We're a little violent. ... A little bit, a little bit, a little bit.”
– Kevin Costner (02:33)

Daily Life on Set

Kevin Costner shares his personal connection to the outdoor sets, often choosing to stay on set beyond filming hours:

“I do. I come down here and sometimes I just don't go. I just stay right here. I mean, if those mountains don't feel the need to move, why should I?”
– Kevin Costner (09:59, 10:04)

This unwavering dedication contributes to the show's authentic and immersive atmosphere.

Taylor Sheridan's Expansion and Commitments

With over 10 Paramount series either airing or in development, Sheridan's influence in the industry is undeniable. His recent acquisition of the historic Four Sixes Ranch signifies his deep commitment to the Western lifestyle, ensuring the continuation of his creative endeavors:

“I was about ready to retire. I had saved. I had done really good. … My goal was retire at 50, not. I don't know how to. I see that much grass, I want to put cows on it.”
– Taylor Sheridan (09:15, 09:26)

Conclusion

The episode masterfully interweaves discussions on the creation, challenges, and triumphs of Yellowstone, offering listeners an in-depth understanding of what makes the series a standout in modern television. By featuring candid conversations with Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan, the podcast provides invaluable insights into the behind-the-scenes efforts that sustain the show's authenticity and popularity.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Kevin Costner (01:11): “I mean, this is how you do it. You just get it close and you make everything a little convenient.”
• Kevin Costner (02:22): “If you betray me again, you're dead to me, son. You understand?”
• Taylor Sheridan (05:32): “All the horses, for the most part in our business, are terrible. [...] So I bought all the horses for the show and then taught the actors how to ride it.”
• Taylor Sheridan (07:08): “First thing that I wrote was Mayor of Kingstown. And I sat down and I wrote the first episode in about 10 hours.”
• Chris McCarthy (08:28): “I've been in television nearly 20 years and there's very few times where my 18 year old niece and my 80 year old aunt asked me about the same show. And you know, this was one of those moments and when you see the entire world, you get it.”

Final Thoughts

The Yellowstone Official Podcast episode "Welcome Back to Yellowstone" serves as an essential listen for fans eager to explore the depths of the series. With engaging discussions, heartfelt anecdotes, and exclusive interviews, the podcast enriches the viewing experience, offering a comprehensive look at the making and maintaining of one of television’s most captivating modern Westerns.

Transcript

[Jefferson White]

Hey, I'm Jefferson White and I play Jimmy Hurdstrom on the Paramount Network original series Yellowstone. And I'm the host of the last season of the official Yellowstone podcast. I am so happy to say that the wait is finally over. Yellowstone is back. In celebration of the Season 5 premiere, I'm excited to share with you a recent CBS Sunday Morning interview with Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan, the creator of Yellowstone, its prequel 1883 and the prequel's upcoming sequel, 1923.

[Lee Cowan]

Time was Westerns were a staple of television.

[Taylor Sheridan]

Lee Cowan is here to tell us.

[Lee Cowan]

There'S a new sheriff in town, along with a very different tale from out of the West. Not far from Montana's Bitterroot River, a postcard for the American West. Kevin Costner was stoking a fire.

[Kevin Costner]

I mean, this is how you do it. You just get it close and you make everything a little convenient.

[Lee Cowan]

For the last five years, this valley has been his campsite, the backdrop for a modern day western that's taken off like a band of wild mustangs. Yellowstone, a Paramount production, our parent company, by the way, was the most watched scripted series in all of television last year. How are we not supposed to talk about work at the dinner table in the morning?

[Kevin Costner]

It's the breakfast table, Beth. We can talk business at the breakfast table.

[Lee Cowan]

It's a show as sweeping as the family it depicts. John Dutton, a Montana rancher played by Costner is a man with one boot in the past and one reluctantly in the present.

[Kevin Costner]

This is America. We don't share land here.

[Lee Cowan]

Land. That's what John Dutton sees as his legacy. The only thing more important is loyalty.

[Kevin Costner]

If you betray me again, you're dead to me, son. You understand?

[Lee Cowan]

You think Bonanza meets the God pump?

[Kevin Costner]

Say it. I'll make a lawsuit much simpler. Say, stop building or else. I'm skipping straight to where else? With you. You. And from now on, or else is all get. We're a little violent. We're like a little bit of murder incorporated our family. A little bit, a little bit, a little bit.

[Lee Cowan]

Yellowstone is a reminder that our notion of the American west is hardly as romantic as we sometimes like to believe.

[Kevin Costner]

The ranchers that came here, they didn't own this land. And they basically banded together and pushed out the native population. The cattle wandered on to res land, John. Yeah, well, cattle don't know the difference between your land and ours. Neither did we till the government showed us. It's still beautiful. But it's very easy to forget the drama, the things that we'll never recover from.

[Taylor Sheridan]

He looks warmed up.

[Lee Cowan]

You have to know that world to write it with any real sense of authority, and few can do that.

[Taylor Sheridan]

How you doing?

[Lee Cowan]

Like Yellowstone's co creator and writer, Taylor.

[Taylor Sheridan]

Sheridan, I just make movies to support my horse habit. That's all I do.

[Lee Cowan]

If he looks and sounds the part of a horseman, well, that's because he is one.

[Taylor Sheridan]

Whoa.

[Lee Cowan]

He'll talk riding and roping all day long, but much beyond that, he reigns it in.

[Taylor Sheridan]

My least favorite subject is myself. Yeah, I say about everything I want to say when I write a story.

[Lee Cowan]

There's an economy to his language, a directness that he carries to the set, too.

[Taylor Sheridan]

I don't run much of a democracy. It's. No, the words are the words.

[Lee Cowan]

He wasn't kidding.

[Taylor Sheridan]

I don't tell people how to act. I don't need anyone to tell me how to write.

[Lee Cowan]

And as writers go, he's been called one of the most important Western storytellers in decades. He created 1883, the pioneer prequel to Yellowstone, starring Faith hill and Tim McGraw. What is that?

[Taylor Sheridan]

Tornado.

[Lee Cowan]

It was so popular that there's now a sequel to that prequel starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren.

[Taylor Sheridan]

It's ludicrous that I'm working with these people. It's. It's. It's fantastically insane.

[Lee Cowan]

What you won't find in any of his works are cowboy cliches. It's easy to make a bad Western, says Costner. Making a good one, though, is Sheridan's gift.

[Kevin Costner]

Westerns, specifically, they can look really dumb. They can look obvious. They're hard to make. And that's the problem. It's like. It's hard to make a Western that you can relate to.

[Lee Cowan]

Sheridan relates to it so well because he lives it. He owns not one, but two ranches in Texas and actually provides most of the horses for his productions himself.

[Taylor Sheridan]

All the horses, for the most part in our business, are terrible. They're not very broke. They're not very safe, which is one of the reasons you don't see actors on them very often. And I didn't want to do that. So I bought all the horses for the show and then taught the actors how to ride it.

[Lee Cowan]

He couldn't find an actor good enough on a horse to play a horse trader on Yellowstone, So Sheridan played the part himself.

[Jefferson White]

Travis, let me run and stop.

[Chris McCarthy]

Just once.

[Taylor Sheridan]

You bet for $300,000.

[Jefferson White]

Come on, just once.

[Lee Cowan]

He fell into Hollywood first as a model.

[Taylor Sheridan]

I don't need to know your name, honey.

[Lee Cowan]

He later began to audition and over the years got parts in shows like Veronica Mars and Sons of Anarchy.

[Taylor Sheridan]

Fortunately for you, I'm a cop, actually bound by the law.

[Lee Cowan]

But after more than two decades of trying, he never became a leading man. What kept you going in the acting world?

[Taylor Sheridan]

I think stubbornness, a refusal to fail. An interesting thing about Hollywood is if you let it, if you listen, it will tell you exactly what you're supposed to be doing.

[Lee Cowan]

How so?

[Taylor Sheridan]

I have never seen anyone bang their head against the wall for 20 years and then make it. I've never seen it. Yeah, I've seen it take eight years, I've seen it take 10 years, but I've never seen it take 20.

[Lee Cowan]

And is that where you had come to?

[Taylor Sheridan]

Well, I had come to where the best I was ever going to be was, you know, 10th on the call sheet.

[Lee Cowan]

But one day a friend brought him a project not to audition for, but to write.

[Taylor Sheridan]

I said, look, I have no idea how to do this, but I have a 15 year education on how not to do it. Just give him a call. First thing that I wrote was Mayor of Kingstown. And I sat down and I wrote the first episode in about 10 hours.

[Lee Cowan]

Really in one night.

[Taylor Sheridan]

And when I was done, I said, man, I should have wished I had done this 15 years ago.

[Lee Cowan]

From then on, he began writing at a furious pace. Out came scripts for films like Sicario, Wind river and his Oscar nominated screenplay, Hell or High Water.

[Kevin Costner]

Gotta wait for these boys to make a mistake. So far they ain't, but they will and they're gonna make it here.

[Lee Cowan]

Not bad for only the second screenplay he ever wrote. But when it came to his idea for the series Yellowstone, almost everyone in Hollywood passed. Nobody's doing TV westerns.

[Taylor Sheridan]

They said, look, anytime that Hollywood says a genre is dead is because they made a bunch of bad movies.

[Chris McCarthy]

People think of westerns as, you know, good guys and bad guys. And it's really such a different show.

[Lee Cowan]

It makes it much more complex, much.

[Chris McCarthy]

More and much more appealing.

[Lee Cowan]

Chris McCarthy, Paramount Network president and CEO of MTV Entertainment, essentially bet the ranch that Yellowstone would resonate.

[Kevin Costner]

What are you doing here?

[Chris McCarthy]

I've been in television nearly 20 years and there's very few times where my 18 year old niece and my 80 year old aunt asked me about the same show. And you know, this was one of those moments and when you see the entire world, you get it. He not only creates his own world in the TV series, he creates that world for himself. And you know, he's unique that way.

[Lee Cowan]

He writes what he knows absolutely and.

[Chris McCarthy]

He writes it incredibly well.

[Lee Cowan]

Sheridan now has no fewer than 10 Paramount series, either on the air or in the works. Busy doesn't even describe his life. And that's just the Hollywood side. He just became part owner of the historic Four Sixes Ranch, consisting of more than a quarter of a million acres near Lubbock, which financially means he better keep on writing hits to pay it all off.

[Taylor Sheridan]

I was about ready to retire. I had saved. I had done really good. Yeah, we were. My goal was retire at 50, not.

[Lee Cowan]

That he was gonna go play golf or something. You don't strike me as a golf cutter.

[Taylor Sheridan]

I don't know how to. I see that much grass, I want to put cows on it.

[Kevin Costner]

How's he priced through the roof.

[Lee Cowan]

It was John Wayne who once said that nothing is so discouraging to an actor than to have to work for long hours upon hours in brightly lighted interior sets. Kevin Costner feels pretty much the same way. The outdoor world of the west that Taylor Sheridan has created is a place that no one really wants to leave. What's it like at the end of the day shooting, though? Do you guys all come down here and hang out and have.

[Kevin Costner]

I do. I come down here and sometimes I just don't go.

[Lee Cowan]

Yeah, home. You just stay here. Just because it's.

[Kevin Costner]

I just stay right here. I mean, if. If those mountains don't feel the need to move, why should I?

[Jefferson White]

If you want more Yellowstone, you can catch up with the podcast every Sunday. This isn't just your typical recap podcast. Every week you're going to get exclusive access to cast and crew members who will take you behind the scenes of Season five in a way that no other podcast can saddle up for. All new episodes of the official Yellowstone podcast, available on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.