For most of its run, Taylor Sheridan’s Western drama Yellowstone was often compared to HBO’s epic fantasy series, Game of Thrones. The struggles within the Dutton family and between the family & outsiders over the Yellowstone ranch clearly drew parallels with the conflict over the Seven Kingdoms in Game of Thrones. Wes Bentley, who plays Jamie Dutton in the Paramount series, admitted to this connection between the two series.
Bentley’s comments came right after the action-packed finale of the third season of his series in 2020. Before Bentley, the creator himself referenced Game of Thrones to explain the world-building in his series.
Wes Bentley plays the ambitious character Jamie Dutton, the adopted son of John and Evelyn Dutton, in Yellowstone. Throughout the series, the character engages in some questionable acts to achieve his big roles. This Dutton brother shared a complicated relationship with his family, especially with Beth Dutton with whom he shares a hostile sibling rivalry.
These problems brew up during the final moments of season 3 of the series which ends in a massive cliffhanger moment. At the time, while discussing the Season 3 cliffhanger with Entertainment Weekly, Bentley mentioned that he was a Game of Thrones fan and was constantly coming up with theories of his own. He was happy that fans were doing the same thing for his series.
When asked if he noticed the parallels between the “sprawling family story” of both series, Bentley admitted that there definitely was a connection between the two series. He shared that the family dynamic and the goals of the characters in both series worked in a similar manner. The American Beauty actor shared with EW:
“[About the cliffhanger] It’s going to be a blast to hear about what fans think as a community. I mean, I was a Game of Thrones fan, so I had my own theories. […] Yes, there definitely is [a connection]. The way the family dynamic works and the goals that kind of all fit together in some weird ways.”
The Game of Thrones connection was widely discussed among fans of the series. After the third season’s final episode premiered, Reddit fans discussed the possibility of the series hiring Game of Thrones writers since the similarities were strikingly visible in that episode.
“Season 3 really explores these relationships. In Season 1, you’re building the world and giving it a trajectory and in Season 2, you are paving that road. Once we all know what that road is, I’ll give a Game of Thrones example.”
He continued:
“Once we understand all the players and what they want, then we understand the threat that’s really coming and the hero we think is coming, well now we can slow the world way down and look at what makes these people tick and keep putting them in situations that will show their true colors.”
Yellowstone surely has a place in pop culture despite how its fifth season turned out due to the ongoing controversy. The fifth season premiere set Paramount viewership records with 12.1 million viewers (via The Hollywood Reporter). The comparison with Game of Thrones makes sense in all aspects of the series.
