The third season of Yellowstone concluded earlier this year and featured an impressive shake-up of the show’s format. Ahead of its fourth season returning to Paramount and Peacock, Taylor Sheridan has opened up about the daunting task of juggling the Duttons’ multiple storylines.
Season three of Paramount Network’s Yellowstone featured plenty of surprises, which all came to a head in the explosive last minutes of the season finale.
In episode ten, The World Is Purple, John Dutton (played by Kevin Costner) and his family fell victim to a series of brutal coordinated attacks.
As filming of the fourth season continues in Montana, fans are preparing for a visceral revenge plot to kick off the upcoming instalment.
Meanwhile, co-creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan has touched on the major changes he made to the series’ format this year.
READ MORE: Yellowstone explained: Who are the Beck brothers in Yellowstone?
Drawing from his work writing and directing popular neo-Westerns Hell or High Water and Wind River, Sheridan tackled a sprawling family history in Yellowstone’s 2020 comeback.
Millions of fans tuned in each week to discover more about the wealthy ranch owners, including a devastating reveal about Jamie Dutton’s (Wes Bentley) past.
Not only was the successful attorney revealed to be adopted in the latest season, but flashbacks also revealed his fraught history with his sister, Beth (Kelly Reilly).
Additionally, the series set the tone with a heart-wrenching scene in which John Dutton promised to secure his family’s legacy to his dying father (Dabney Coleman).
Upping the series’ use of flashbacks this year certainly produced a number of challenges, including the casting of newcomers Kylie Anne Rogers and Dalton Baker to play younger versions of Beth and Jamie.
However, Sheridan revealed flashbacks were the only way forward this season, as other storytelling methods may have dampened the gut-punch of this year’s huge reveals.
He continued: “Another way to do it is just have a monologue explaining the same thing, but it doesn’t have the impact of witnessing it.
“It’s always more powerful to see it and feel the history of that family, and as I continue to employ it and will continue to do so, I think that it’s a great way for an audience to truly understand how this family came to be.”
Thankfully, the gamble paid off, and Yellowstone proved more popular than ever when season three broadcast on Paramount this year.
Sheridan also cited The Godfather Part II as an influence, adding: “It’s not unlike watching Don Corleone come over to New York at the turn of the century, interspersed with watching Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone fully embrace the power of his family.”
As the series so far is set to be added to NBC’s new streaming platform Peacock, the complex family saga could see an even bigger surge in viewership ahead of the season four premiere in 2021.
Yellowstone will return with season 4 in 2021 on Paramount and Peacock.
