Yellowstone, a spectacular TV series

Filmmaker Taylor Sheridan has created arguably the best drama on television today with his neo-western opus Yellowstone.

Kevin Costner leads an excellent cast as the Dutton family patriarch, a sixth-generation Montana rancher who fights to maintain his land and livelihood against an Indian reservation and the US federal government, which is trying to expand the national park adjacent to the Dutton property.

Costner is at his best: a textured, soulful protagonist who anchors immense weight and complexity in every quiet, powerful scene.

The sweeping vistas of Montana are as much a "character" as any other, beautifully captured by cinematographers Ben Richardson and Ben Semanoff.

Sheridan infuses economic, political and social themes into an intensely dramatic frontier saga with more substance than just gunfights.

But the thrills are there too, with the pulsating machismo of Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly and the splendid newcomer Finn Little.

Now in its fifth season after 47 episodes, Yellowstone is a must-see: epic storytelling at its purest. A story that will stand the test of time.

Sheridan is securing his place among the great American auteurs with this modern western. Critically acclaimed and wildly popular, it is a true masterpiece of cinematic melodrama for the small screen. Highly recommended.