Yellowstone is an addictive family drama with a few bloody twists.

Yellowstone is the type of drama that walks the line between the worlds of TV and film.

On one hand, the Stan drama boasts the production values of a big-screen epic, with lush cinematography courtesy of the series being shot entirely on location in Utah and Montana, and the fact that it’s led by two-time Academy Award winner Kevin Costner.

With the third season of Yellowstone premiering this week on Stan, the series also makes the most of its serialised storytelling, with an element of slow-burning drama weaving throughout the series.

Yellowstone stars Kevin Costner as John Dutton, the head of the sixth generation of the Dutton family to run Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. A piece of family history that is often on the brink of being lost to the Duttons due to land developers from the rapidly expanding nearby town, the need to protect the nearby Indian reservation and the United States of America’s first national park.

While Yellowstone looks at the often brutal and bloody wheeling and dealings that takes place in this corner of Montana, at its heart, the series is very much a high stakes family drama.

As a prominent, landowning family, the Duttons have no shortage of enemies lining up to come to blows with them, however, most of the tension and drama stems from their own complicated dynamics and history.

Lee Dutton (Dave Annable) is John Dutton's oldest son and acts as head of security on the ranch, while Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) is a former US Navy SEAL, who in early seasons lives on the local Native American reservation with his Native American wife and son.

The third Dutton brother is the politically ambitious Jamie (Wes Bentley), who is loyal to the family business but finds it a constant frustration.

The only daughter of  John Dutton and his late wife Evelyn is Beth (Kelly Reilly), a manipulative and intelligent businesswoman who the audience also learns is suffering from substance abuse problems.

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Without giving too much away for anyone who has yet to watch the first two seasons, Yellowstone is a series based on ever-shifting alliances among the characters and there is a sense of rule-breaking anarchy in this untamed part of the world. It's a place where violence is an accepted part of business dealings and murders frequently go unsolved.

Like all good TV dramas that are not afraid to raise the stakes, Yellowstone is not a series committed to preserving its lead characters at the expense of the story. So let's just say that it's never a sure bet that all of the Dutton family members will make it through to the end.

Which makes sense, considering the series is co-created and written by Taylor Sheridan, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind critically acclaimed movies Sicario and Hell or High Water.

If you're looking for an addictive family drama with a few bloody story twists in the mix, Yellowstone needs to be on your must-watch list.

Yellowstone season three premiered on Stan on Monday, June 22 – with new episodes dropping weekly, the same day as the US. Seasons one and two are available to watch now on Stan. 

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