'Yellowstone' stars on the 'secret sauce' that helped make the drama one of TV's most-watched shows

• Several "Yellowstone" cast members spoke with Business Insider about the show's popularity.
• The series' return last weekend reportedly attracted an audience of over 16 million viewers.
• Actor Wes Bentley said creator Taylor Sheridan understood the "American psyche."

"Yellowstone" returned to screens last weekend after a two-year break, with more than 16 million reported viewers suggesting the show hasn't lost its appeal.

Speaking with Business Insider ahead of the Paramount Network drama's return, several cast members shared their thoughts on why the series became one of America's most popular shows.

The Western revival

"Yellowstone," which first aired in 2018, is part of a new wave of Western dramas that have proved popular with viewers in recent years.

"The whole Western genre has had such a big moment recently, and our show has something to do with that," actor Luke Grimes, who plays Kayce Dutton on the show, said.

But Grimes said "Yellowstone" had something that has distinguished it from the others in the genre — Taylor Sheridan, whom he called "the best writer for this genre that has ever existed."

Other neo-westerns that have proved a hit with audiences in recent years include "Outer Range," "Joe Pickett," and Sheridan's franchise expansions, "1923," and "1883."

On Netflix, the recently released "Territory," an Australia-set drama about the fight for a cattle station, has occupied a spot in the platform's Global Top 10 since it debuted in late October.

Grimes said that the COVID-19 pandemic may also have helped draw in more viewers to "Yellowstone," offering an escape to "the most beautiful places you can imagine" for all those stuck inside.

For Wes Bentley, who plays Jamie Dutton, Kevin Costner's character John Dutton's adopted son, it's Sheridan's ability to tap into the American mindset that has helped reel in audiences.

"I think there is something that Taylor understands about the American psyche, or at least this kind of American psyche," Bentley said.

"I didn't really understand it at first, and a lot of people don't, but he's tapping into a feeling that is drawing some of that out," he continued. "It's just got a lot of depth and a lot of complexity. It's not an easy show to pinpoint because of that."

Some have attempted to explain the series' success by painting "Yellowstone" as a "red state Game of Thrones" that appealed mainly to conservatives.

But Sheridan has pushed back on that idea, saying in an Atlantic profile published in 2022: "They refer to it as 'the conservative show' or 'the Republican show' or 'the red-state Game of Thrones.'"

"And I just sit back laughing. I'm like, 'Really?'" he added.

Kelsey Asbille, who plays Monica Dutton, an Indigenous character who marries into the central Dutton family, said the show's success was partly thanks to its ability to resonate with so many different people.

"I think that there's something very human about it where it's looking forward and backward with the same glance," she said, adding that she found the series' popularity "kind of mind-boggling."

"I think that's maybe the secret sauce," Asbille said.

The final season of "Yellowstone" continues on Paramount Network on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.