Yellowstone isn’t a waste of time, despite what some might say

Jessica Cullen
Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton in Yellowstone

While some might accuse Taylor Sheridan’s TV show of being a little pointless, many Yellowstone fans are still willing to defend it.

From abandoned plot lines to extremely questionable character logic, Yellowstone has long-since been attracting negative responses from fans and non-fans alike.

But in order to hate Yellowstone, you kind of have to love it, too. Once you embrace the over-the-top nature of the majority of Yellowstone episodes and Taylor Sheridan‘s bizarre approach to storytelling, you’ll see the fun.

Amid claims that the drama series is “a waste of time”, some fans have rallied together to defend the Dutton Ranch from haters.

“Anyone else feel like the series was ultimately a waste of time?” one fan asked on the Yellowstone subreddit. “I enjoyed parts of it, but it feels so unsatisfying to me and how it abruptly ended. My questions were never really answered. I guess I expected more after five seasons.”

“It’s not a waste of time for me. I love it!” one user quickly responded. Another added: “I love the music. I love all the cowboy stuff. There are great episodes like the one where Monica lures the killer preying on native women. And there are characters like Teeter, Lloyd, Jimmy and Walker.”

The conversation quickly turned a little philosophical. Can entertainment be considered a waste of time?

“All entertainment is a waste of time, but that’s sort of the point,” one comment said. “It’s not meant to be a productive activity for the audience. The question is it satisfying for the viewer?”

“This is kind of an existential question,” wrote another. “Isn’t all popular entertainment a way to kill time and avoid the inevitable thought of our mortality?”

“It’s not a waste of time, it is just not some super meaningful show that makes you think and feel and identify with the characters in a series of events that are relatable,” one fan pointed out. “But from the very beginning people were attributing a lot more meaning to show than was ever actually there. It was goofy fun from the very start, and that’s all it will ever really be. And that’s okay.”

For more, check out our guide to Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2, and take a look at all the best shows to stream this month.

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About The Author

Jessica Cullen is a TV and Movies Writer at Dexerto. She's previously written for The Digital Fix, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29, Slate and more. Aside from being the residential Yellowstone expert, she also loves Westerns, '90s action movies, and true crime. You can email her here: jessica.cullen@dexerto.com.