The Yellowstone-Inspired Shows We’ll Get During the Writers’ Strike

What new shows is Hollywood gonna come up with during the writers' strike? We can only assume they'll turn to Yellowstone for inspiration.

By Tyler Hicks

May 8, 2023

What new shows is Hollywood gonna come up with during the writers' strike? We can only assume they'll turn to Yellowstone for inspiration. Clement M. / Unsplash

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Hollywood is a machine that can’t be stopped by trivial matters such as fair pay. Even now, amid the first writers’ strike in 15 years, studio execs are moving forward with tons of new programming without help from the people they lovingly call “the help.”

These executives are keen to show off their creative chops by spearheading new shows based on existing IP. We imagine that for inspo, they’ll turn to Yellowstone, a series about universal themes such as loyalty, greed and Kevin Costner looking great in a vest.

Here are what we are sure will be the next CEO-conceived, Yellowstone-inspired shows receiving a straight-to-series order and a roughly $100 million budget.

Montana General

The pitch: “It’s like Yellowstone meets Grey’s Anatomy meets 911 [specifically the one in Texas]. When he’s not wooing nurses, putting out fires or pursuing a host of dangerous, non-medical activities, dashing doctor Cutter Wilkinson [he of the legendary Wilkinson family] pursues his true passion: extreme bull riding.”

2085

The pitch: “We’ve done 1883, 1923, and probably another one I’m forgetting. Now it’s time for 2085: The Duttons in Space. Montana has been taken over by Missoula-loving liberals, so America’s favorite family has no other choice but to stake their claim to Mars. Naturally, they run afoul of both the native aliens and Big Tech barons.”

Take My (Ranch)Hand

The pitch: “Everything’s going just fine for the Sutton family until Cousin Craig comes to town looking for a job. I’m thinking the kid can be tall, goofy and adorably nonsensical. He needs a job, so the Suttons make this idiotic vegetarian do the dirtiest, foulest work on their property. By the end of season eight, we’ll have all learned a little more about what it means to be a family.”

Yellowstone: The Park This Time

The pitch: “People really liked seeing Costner do his outdoors-y show on Fox, so let’s ride that train. Maybe Cole Hauser can go through park ranger training, then get partnered with a quirky college kid who’s never seen the show? [This has the added benefit of being mostly unscripted, further proving we don’t need the nerds with the picket signs.]”

Sooner or Later

The pitch: “Alright guys, hear me out. Everyone’s always thinking ‘the next Yellowstone’ is going to be a drama, so let’s give the people something truly surprising. I’m thinking of a classic sitcom, à la Step by Step, about a divorced dad from Oklahoma and a divorced mom from Texas who get married and form one big, rascally family. Rivalries form and hilarity ensues, mostly via puns about ‘the Sooner state’ and how the kids would sooner be anywhere else! Oh, and there’s horses.”

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Tyler Hicks was born in Austin, but he grew up in Dallas. He typically claims one or the other, depending on which is most convenient. His work has appeared in Texas Monthly, Truthout, The Texas Observer and many other publications.

Contact: Tyler Hicks