Let's be clear: Yellowstone is not for kids or even most teens. This is a show where the 'heroes' regularly commit murder, the sex scenes are explicit, and the violence is brutal.

That said, for adults? It's genuinely compelling television. The cinematography is gorgeous, Kevin Costner brings gravitas, and the modern Western setting feels fresh in the prestige TV landscape. It's a guilty pleasure that millions of viewers have latched onto, and the cultural phenomenon aspect is real.

The problem is that it's essentially a high-budget soap opera dressed up in cowboy hats. The characters make consistently terrible decisions, the plot twists can be absurd, and the show often glorifies toxic masculinity and vigilante justice. The Metacritic score of 57 (versus the high audience scores) tells you everything—critics see through the melodrama while fans are hooked on the drama.

If you're looking for family viewing, keep scrolling. But if you want an addictive, beautifully shot, morally questionable adult drama to binge after the kids are in bed? Yellowstone delivers exactly what it promises.