After a prolonged period of animus and uncertainty, the hit television drama “Yellowstone” is officially wrapping up production after five seasons. The ongoing behind-the-scenes drama finally took precedence over the on-screen drama, with lead Kevin Costner’s decision to walk away bringing the show to an end.
For fans, it’s a disappointment. For most of us, though, it’ll be nice to have the covertly woke show no longer take centerstage and secretly indoctrinate with the same toxic messages seen in pretty much the entire entertainment industry.
Just for the record, this isn’t a right-wing conspiracy. Not that long ago, media outlet IndieWire gloatingly admitted as much in a mid-February article, arguing that “‘1923′ is one of the most progressive shows on TV right now. It added:
That may come as a shock to the many people who think Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” universe is inherently for Red Staters. Sheridan’s burgeoning constellation of Western TV series draws the kind of viewership numbers usually reserved for “NCIS” and other, older-skewing broadcast shows that the critical class usually ignores. “Yellowstone” and its first prequel “1883” are series that largely focus on grizzled white people in 10-gallon hats carrying guns, after all.
Each of the “Yellowstone” series features Native American characters. But “1923” has been startling for the time and the emphasis it’s given to the storyline of Teonna (Aminah Nieves), and what that storyline implies about how historic structural inequities continue to govern outcomes for Indigenous Americans today. It’s “critical race theory,” the term wildly mischaracterized by political opportunists that refers to the idea that racism is embedded in and enforced by laws and institutions, even apparently “colorblind” ones, to ensure inequality is perpetuated. It’s in the DNA of “1923,” and if its primary audience really is conservative, it’s a remarkable Trojan horse packaging of ideas to which that audience desperately needs to be exposed.
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“1923” viscerally brings to life the context for today’s injustices that “Murder in Big Horn” describes. In drawing such a connection between past and present, Sheridan’s show has smuggled in a much-needed dose of critical race theory, the term demonized so doggedly by the American right in recent vintage. It even makes you think of how the Dutton family’s success at the heart of “Yellowstone” and “1923” is owed to the Indigenous land, taken away from Indigenous people, that they call their property.
“‘Yellowstone’ has been the cornerstone on which we have launched an entire universe of global hits — from ‘1883’ to ‘Tulsa King,’ and I am confident our ‘Yellowstone’ sequel will be another big hit, thanks to the brilliant creative mind of Taylor Sheridan and our incredible casts who bring these shows to life,” president and CEO of the company overseeing the show, Chris McCarthy, said in a statement, per Fox News.
As for the current shooting debacle, Fox News added that the issue is rooted in award-winning star Kevin Costner’s fatigue over the filming schedule. The rest of the cast has said they want the series to continue. Fox wrote:
The issue, according to many widespread rumors, lies with Costner, who has been widely reported to be the reason for the delay in filming, which we now know will come nearly a year later than previously scheduled.
After the first half of the fifth season aired late last year, the show took a break for the holidays. They were set to return to filming at the top of the new year, but that was pushed back to sometime this summer, and now we know that it has been pushed back even further.
Multiple sources kept alleging that Costner only wanted to work for one week to film the rest of the episodes, which would be difficult to do as he’s the star of the show.
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