Mandatory TV Battles: Josh Brolin’s ‘Outer Range’ v. Kevin Costner’s ‘Yellowstone’

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
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