10 Worst Episodes Of Yellowstone, Ranked

Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone" isn't the first major project he's written. That honor belongs to 2015's "Sicario." Still, the Western series has arguably become the most well-known project on his resume. The show follows John Dutton III (Kevin Costner), a generational cattle rancher living in Montana. 

Alongside his family, Dutton is constantly dealing with people trying to take his land; from major corporations to the Native Americans living on the Brocken Rock reservation. It makes for a dramatic narrative as he does whatever is necessary to stay on top, which includes calling in favors with politicians, taking political office himself, and using the family "train station" for the most recalcitrant foes.

"Yellowstone" is filled with drama and intrigue and is best described as a Western mob show. You do what John says, or else — and if John helps you out of something, you're indebted to him for life. With that kind of energy, it should mean every episode is a hit, but that isn't the case. Out of 53 episodes, these are the worst of the bunch — from poor season premieres to lackluster finales. 

At the midpoint of Season 4, things begin to shift. Beth (Kelly Reilly) is determined to somehow pit the two companies after Dutton land against each other, and to do that, she takes a job with one of them. John's new love interest, the protestor and underrated character Summer (Piper Perabo), is brought into the picture, and there's even the revelation that Jamie (Wes Bentley) and Christina (Katherine Cunningham) have a child together.

Many fans did not like the introduction of the animal rights protesters, with opinions ranging from feeling they were presented as aimless aggressors to them not adding anything to a season that already had very little going for it. "The protesters are super tiring and not needed ... boring," IMDb user explore1440 wrote in their review.

Outside of the protestors, audiences felt that this was a turning point in "Yellowstone," and not for great reasons. Many think that the season up to this point had more filler than necessary, and this episode reinforced that that's where the show was headed moving forward. It marks the end of what they considered to be the "good" part of "Yellowstone." "Looks like this series has run its course," user jjsoltis wrote on IMDb. "Nothing significant has happened in the last two episodes."

Old feuds continue to reignite in this episode from Season 3. John and Wade (Boots Southerland) can't let bygones be bygones, arguing over where the buffalo are, but it goes much deeper than that. Since ancient grudges seem to be the theme of the episode, Beth and Jamie also get into it. Beth lays out all the cards, effectively telling Jamie that no one likes him, and his only personality trait is being evil. All of this is happening while Monica (Kelsey Asbille) and her tribe are looking for a missing teenager.

Some of the fan base thought the entirety of Jamie's story in this episode was silly, and an "unneeded plot." He continues to get intense hate from his family, even though he seems to be helping them, so the audience view it as a bit of a disconnect, especially in an episode that isn't filled with the drama or energy they've come to expect from the series.

Other reviews highlight that the stakes presented don't feel comparable to the first two seasons of the show. In a seemingly sarcastic review, IMDb user rabbitmoon writes how foolish the squabbles feel. "Literally the only thing threatening the Duttons here is an offer for half a billion dollars," they said. "If that's not enough of a threat, then you can be thrilled by an old man looking after buffalo, handing legit papers over a fence. Tense stuff!" It sounds ridiculous when you think about it, and that's because it is.

Season 3 may be the only "Yellowstone" era with a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, but that doesn't exempt it from having episodes that don't resonate well with the fans. Its premiere features John forced to step down from his role as the cattle commissioner, because people didn't appreciate how he used his position to facilitate the rescue at the end of Season 2. Also, a corporation known for golf courses and casinos is sniffing around the ranch, which sets up yet another foe the Duttons will have to fight off.

For many, this was the start of the repetition that would plague the plot of "Yellowstone." A new evil villain tries to take their land, the Duttons retaliate and win, but not without backstabbing, drama, and violence, and then someone new pops up. It's like a never-ending game of Whack-A-Mole. "It's clear the show is just going to stay on one loop," IMDb user BigSoulDiva wrote in their review.

"You're the Indian Now" isn't an explosive opener by any means, with some fans feeling it's a bit too tepid. One IMDb reviewer called it "an uneventful season premiere," noting that while "Yellowstone" can take its time to ramp up, this episode was far slower than usual.

The finale of "Yellowstone" landed with a bit of a whimper compared to the rest of the series. Beth got justice for John's death, both in ensuring the Dutton ranch land is never sold to developers and that he was buried on it. Beth and Rip (Cole Hauser) have new property in Montana to retreat to, Kayce (Luke Grimes) and Monica kept a portion of land to continue to ranch on, and Jamie doesn't get the last word — another win for Beth.

After several episodes of seemingly randomly thrown together plots, and the penultimate episode focused more on Taylor Sheridan's favorite character, Travis Wheatley, than the Duttons, the ending felt rushed to audiences. Which, considering that many think the season was mostly filler, makes sense. 

Ultimately, it was not the grand ending some were hoping for, with reviews even calling it boring. "With how high-stakes the nature of the show is, I didn't think Sheridan could manage to make this episode boring ... but he did," user icecreamtowel wrote in a one star review on IMDb.

There is also frustration that Beth is seemingly getting away with all of her actions, even in killing Jamie. Reviews across the season highlight Beth's actions and attitude as a problem, and the final episode seems to reinforce that she was in the right the entire time, even though she's just as scummy as everyone else — maybe even more so. "The one good scene which is about 5 minutes was still unsatisfying since Beth didn't get her comeuppance," IMDb user xander-t96 said.

The second episode of Season 5 takes us to John's gubernatorial office. He's already sick of everything that comes with the position and would rather be back at the ranch, but he has things to deal with, like trying to prevent an airport strip from being built on Dutton land. Meanwhile, Rip is dealing with killing protected Yellowstone National Park wolves, Jamie is about to be positioned against his father by Sarah (Dawn Olivieri), and Kayce and Monica are in mourning after a car accident.

Reviews are particularly upset with Beth and her characterization, believing her to be a consistent issue at this point, with one fan even saying that she "diminishes" John and his story. This episode, in particular, is the start of the Beth audiences will be treated to for the rest of the season, who just seems determined to one-up Jamie at every turn. It isn't fun to watch, with one review calling her "a cartoon [villain] with 9 lives," and makes it clear that the glory days of "Yellowstone" are gone.

"It feels like a really bad melodramatic soap opera," IMDb user norakennyhouser wrote in their review. The soap opera angle is also mentioned in otherwise positive reviews as one of the show's detriments. "Its a very good looking one, with superb actors and breathtaking scenery, but its a soap opera and not a modern western — the one it was in first seasons," user RM851222 wrote in their seven star review.

The penultimate episode of Season 4 sets up quite a few emotional stakes, from John and Beth's blow out fight over her involvement with Summer's arrest to Kayce becoming more involved with members of the Broken Rock reservation as he gets ready to go on a vision quest. Will this be what breaks the relationship between the patriarch and daughter, as he seems to finally recognize his daughter has no empathy and won't play by his rules?

The audience questions the decisions made by several characters, like Summer listening to Beth when it comes to the protest and John going into the diner. At this point, many fans didn't feel like there was a direction for the end of the season, with the number of plot holes making it hard to see the bigger picture. "The story is so full of holes it just becomes farcical and all we are left with is beautiful landscapes and some good lines that are wasted on characters that have just become one dimensional," IMDb user Sofa-Sogood wrote in their one star review.

The Season 4 episode is also an instance of Taylor Sheridan writing his character, Travis, who is one of the most annoying characters of the series, as an "important" part of the narrative, which landed poorly with audiences. While several reviews highlight that they're getting tired of the horse dancing happening in Texas, one calls Sheridan out personally, writing that "nobody wants to see you act and wants to see your dumb horse dances even less."

The puzzle pieces are out in the open with this Season 5 episode, but it isn't clear how (or if) they will all fit together by the end of the season. The future of the ranch is at stake, especially if the cattle have to be culled thanks to a disease outbreak. Protecting them comes at a cost, one that puts the ranch into the red and causes fights between John and Beth about how to handle it. Parts of the episode, like the county fair, seem pretty mundane, but others, like the Rip/John flashback, show where loyalties lie.

Though it seems like quite a bit is happening in this episode, for a chunk of the audience, it's nothing that moves the plot forward. John isn't running for a second term? That's cool, but it means he doesn't seem to have a future figured out. Jamie and Sarah have their political discussions going, but it just reinforces what fans already think about Jamie. It's an episode that focuses more on the emotional journeys of the characters, but in a series known for drama and action, it doesn't work well.

"This show is fast becoming a cowboy version of America's Got Talent. More excuses for live bands, last one was the branding, this one is the fair," IMDb user Xavier_Stone said in their one star review. "Incredibly poor writing, just all background story telling." Positive reviews highlight that, while the episode does feel like an improvement in terms of writing and pacing compared to earlier episodes of the season, there still isn't the intrigue that fans love in earlier seasons.

What is everyone up to after John's death? Great question! Beth is confronting Jamie at work, Beth and Sarah are fighting, Kayce is trying to figure out who is behind John's death, and then Beth and Rip are in Texas. Everyone is doing something, but almost none of it is together. It's clear John's death has brought out something in everyone, it's just not clear what the results are.

For many, the tenth episode of Season 5 felt like a continuation of the issues with Episode 9. There's a lack of continuity, with the characters all off doing their own thing. The major connection is the continued Beth versus Jamie battle that has seemingly become the core of the narrative, but now it's shifted from trying to kill each other to Beth proving Jamie is behind their father's death. And even that isn't fully felt, since Beth is in Texas for part of the episode.

"I'm not even sure where they go from here. There is only one plot line they seem to have continued concerning John Dutton," IMDb user herrbrett wrote in their review of the episode. "Everything else seems to have fallen by the waste side [sic]." This sentiment is reinforced in other reviews, with one even comparing Taylor Sheridan to George R. R. Martin, the author of "Game of Thrones," who has famously still not completed the series and is known for killing off beloved characters.

The penultimate episode of "Yellowstone" features Beth doing everything she can to sell literally every asset on the ranch because, surprise, inheritance taxes are expensive. She takes a trip to Texas, bringing Taylor Sheridan's Travis back as she tries to sell off the horses.

Ultimately, the episode is widely seen as a Sheridan self-insert. This isn't the first episode his character appears (that honor belongs to the fifth episode of the show), but it is the episode where audiences get sick of Sheridan writing himself in so that Bella Hadid can play his on-screen girlfriend. "It blows my mind that he was allowed to trash this show by dedicating the penultimate episode to his character, a character that no one is interested in, in such a weird and embarrassing way," IMDb user benvincent-26732 wrote in their review.

There is plenty to tie up in these last few episodes, especially as Beth and Jamie are still at odds, and fans saw this episode as a waste, meant to give Sheridan's character one last big hurrah instead of focusing on the Duttons. It effectively serves as a way of showing Travis as this amazing horse salesman who also has a bombshell of a girlfriend in the wild country that is Texas, with little attention given to anything else. Frankly, that's not what people wanted to watch.

The final season of "Yellowstone" boasts many of the series' terrible episodes, but the award for the absolute worst goes to Season 5 Episode 9. This is the premiere for the second half of the season, which didn't air until November 2024, two years after the first half of the season came to screens. The show comes off what is an emotionally intense time, with Jamie going public with his thoughts that John shouldn't be the Governor. It culminates in Jamie and Beth being at possibly deadly odds, which should then lead into an explosive final act in the last six episodes.

Instead, the worst episode of "Yellowstone" is the one that removes John Dutton, the core of the show. It straight up opens with his death, later determined to be murder. John Dutton is "Yellowstone" for many fans, since the story follows him, his family's ranch, and the people around him. Spin-offs like "1883" and "1923" follow his ancestors and how they settled in Montana. Removing him from the series, even if it was because Kevin Costner left, felt like a gut punch.

Though there was disappointment with Costner's exit, they had faith that Taylor Sheridan would write an excellent send off, and many believe he failed. One star reviews on IMDb highlight poor writing, a disjointed narrative structure, and that while there was the thought that "Yellowstone" would end with John's death, that event was clearly moved up to line up with Costner's departure. The series would suffer for it.