How Yellowstone Fans Really Feel About The Violence

The modern Western drama "Yellowstone" has become a flagship program for the Paramount Network and has even inspired a prequel series, "Yellowstone: 1883," premiering in December. The show follows the high-stakes drama of prominent ranch owner John Dutton (Kevin Costner) defending his family and property from outside influences. The series also features stunning cinematography that makes excellent use of its rural Montana setting.

"Yellowstone" is the creation of Taylor Sheridan, a director and screenwriter whose credits include "Sicario." While the action in "Yellowstone" may not be quite as visceral as what's shown in that 2015 movie, the Paramount series doesn't shy away from violence and dangerous situations. Throughout the show's run, the Dutton family has had encounters with Nazis, meth addicts, and sex offenders, many of which ended with a member of the Dutton clan in a situation where they had to take a life.

A discussion amongst viewers on Reddit r/YellowstonePN estimates the Dutton's body count sits at 12, although many fans felt that number was far too low. That much death in a rural community would undoubtedly raise some eyebrows in the real world, and at least one fan thought that the way in which the show portrayed death was unrealistic. Here is how "Yellowstone" fans really feel about all the violence.

In a post shared to r/YellowstoneShow on Reddit, fans debated whether the amount of violence on "Yellowstone" was appropriate for the genre or was distracting from the viewing experience. Original poster u/Western_Lawman made their opinions clear, writing, "I started out a fan of this show, but it got a little tedious counting the number of killings on this show with no consequences, no investigations (to speak of), some of which were blatant murders."

The Redditor continued to say that it was unrealistic for no inquiry to be undertaken when so many lives had been lost in one region of Montana, where law enforcement would be obligated to look into the matter. To this, fans such as u/nelson6364 felt that other TV dramas took things even further, noting, "If you think 12 unsolved murders is a lot, don't watch 'Sons of Anarchy,' which takes place in California." Meanwhile, u/melogalla chimed in and compared "Yellowstone" to another modern Western, writing, "Don't watch 'Longmire' either if you are counting!"

However, others compared the show to an entirely different genre of television and film: organized crime dramas. Redditor u/Vivid-Lake offered such an opinion, writing, "I tell people ['Yellowstone'] is the Cowboy 'Godfather' with a pinch of 'Dallas.'" While the level of conflict that the show depicts may be too much for some, plenty of fans seem to be okay with it as they eagerly await the release date for "Yellowstone" Season 4.