The fantasy of white American exceptionalism is on the rise in pop culture. Need proof? Just look at Yellowstone, the most popular show on TV right now, and the progenitor of a litter of spinoffs and wannabes currently materializing in the cud to carry on the Big Message.
Maybe it’s the rebirth of Manifest Destiny for the internet age, the idea that with enough gumption, hardworking folk can save the Amerian Dream from the coming tide of time, right or wrong. (Or if they can’t save it, at least pretend it still exists outside the figments of their own imagination.) That’s why Yellowstone is resonating with viewers. Despite the hero being a man out of sync with the times, he bravely reclaims the proverbial promised land in ways that aren’t possible outside of a TV screen.
On the surface, Yellowstone is a straightforward family drama about John Dutton (played by Kevin Costner), the owner of America’s largest contiguous cattle ranch, and his fight to preserve his legacy against greedy developers, scummy politicians, an ambitious Indian Casino owner, and his four neer-do-well spawn. Along the way, there’s sex, murder, and beef. Lots of beef.
To the casual observer, Outer Range rides a very similar trail. There’s a ranch, cattle, a mysterious young blonde, a missing family member, murder, and a gruff and emotionally inept patriarch hoping to preserve his livelihood against the maneuverings of his greedy neighbors. Other than a mysterious wormhole that leads to another dimension, it’s the same damn show.
Or is it?
Which show exemplifies the spirit of the American West the way it’s meant to be? Who does it better? And who has better cowboy hats? Grab your spurs and mount up because we’re about to ride into a stampede of modern Westerns along the deadly road to Outer Range v. Yellowstone.
America’s Big Country is having a moment (we blame Kanye). And Yellowstone milks this nostalgia with a high-budget soap opera, Dallas meets Succession with none of the self-awareness. If you’re a gossip, you’ll like it. Meanwhile, Outer Range rides the coattails of the moment like a dysfunctional nerd dressed in cowboy clothes to lead you down a wormhole of existential dread. Neither show is a must-watch. But if you like better-than-average television, wide-open landscapes, and grizzled old men fighting for purpose in a changing world, you can’t lose.
Overall Winner: Tie
Cover Photo: Paramount and Amazon
Outer Range v Yellowstone
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Bigger Budget
Outer Range is a Plan B Entertainment production (owned by Brad Pitt), a company famous for high-minded yet oft low-grossing projects like Ad Astra and Vice. So you know the purse strings are relatively tight on this one. By comparison, Yellowstone's rumored production budget is $3.5 million per episode (not including Taylor Sheridan's nine-figure deal with Paramount+) so the winner on looks alone goes to Costner.
Winner: Yellowstone
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Better Cast
The ensemble supporting our two hunky movie stars is very important. After all, a family drama is only as good as its next of kin. And both shows deliver a deep bench of support roles that make each greater than the sum of its parts. The tie-breaker here is Tom Pelphrey who plays Brolin's eldest son in Outer Range. Pelphrey is a hulk of an actor whose raw power leaps off the screen. The dude single-handedly made Ozark Season 3 a must-watch affair, and he works the same magic here.
Winner: Outer Range
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Easier To Follow
Outer Range can be confusing at the best of times. A lot is left unsaid, even more, unexplained. And the show itself is dark, as in don't-watch-it-during-daylight-hours-because-you-won't-be-able-to-see-what-the-hell-is-even-happening dark. (Remember that pitch-black battle scene in Game of Thrones?) And yet, the murky storytelling and meandering pace only serves to build intrigue over time, leading to some pretty juicy payoffs. That said, if you prefer an easy ride, Yellowstone is your horse.
Winner: Yellowstone
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Better Cowboy Hats
There are cowboy hats and then there are cowboy hats. The former can make you blend in at a YMCA square dance on cowboy appreciation night. The latter will lead your cattle to pasture in a tornado-laced hailstorm. Both shows have enough self-respect to bring the good stuff.
Winner: Tie
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More Memorable
Kevin Costner's Montana epic is chock full of great one-liners, visceral horseplay, and at least one damaged goods relationship you can't help rooting for. But nothing about it feels new. On the flipside, Outer Range is mostly not riveting television. But (and it's a big "but" here) if you can make it through what at times feels like wading through a corral of tightly-packed cattle, you might just be rewarded with a few things that stick in your craw long after you've left the rodeo.
Winner: Outer Range
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Better Lead
One talks in a low gravelly voice, often muttering exasperated commands in harsh tones barely above a whisper. The other has a beard. These guys are both screen legends. Movie stars of the strictly American kind. And neither does anything too outlandish or surprising here. Just solid, dependable performance like an old pickup truck.
Winner: Tie
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Cultural Significance
In the first ten minutes of Yellowstone, the protagonist whines about not having any money before leaping into his private helicopter and flying into a town he could drive to in 30 minutes. As he fights developers and indigenous rights holders, he righteously and unironically claims his land with an absolutist's iron fist. In his spare time, he reforms stray men by (literally) branding them and placing them into the tightly-controlled hierarchy of his bunkhouse, a place that only serves to further protect his destiny. It's a story about a wealthy white man who, from the show's POV, deserves to win. Does this show make television great again? Not really but it's certainly swaying the hearts and minds of a large swath of the American public right now.
Winner: Yellowstone
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Better Message
Without spoiling the major twist of Outer Range's first season, we now know that these two shows that look so alike on the surface, are actually polar opposites at heart. As previously described, Yellowstone is a male fantasy of the colonialist American dream. (Remember The Alamo!) Whereas Outer Range is the nightmare of it, replacing self-righteousness with existential guilt and dread. It quietly probes the dark side of the dream, suggesting that disputed land outlasts the struggles of man, and no amount of time can help a sinner outrun the sins of their past. But don't call it woke. It just isn't living in a daydream.
Winner: Outer Range
