They are not prepared for how large the territory of Australia's Yellowstone is

The Australian Western is a genre with a rich history. The first full-length feature film of all time, 1906 The History of the Kelly Gangwas an Australian western. Australian Westerns share many themes with American Westerns, as the Australian outback and the American West share many similarities, such as: B. Conflicts between settlers and indigenous peoples, a livestock industry and a dangerous but beautiful natural environment. Australian westerns have often been stylistically influenced by their Hollywood-produced counterparts, but rarely as directly as Areaa new Netflix series that's obviously trying to be the Australian equivalent Yellowstone. Area borrows so much from Taylor Sheridan's neo-Western megahit that it's practically an homage. If it took longer, it could be a copyright infringement.

If you are a fan of YellowstoneUnfortunately I can't recommend it Area as something else you might like. But I can recommend viewing it as a fascinating vision of it Yellowstone would look like another country and a possible blueprint for a new phase of Netflix's quest for global dominance.

Area is an ensemble family drama about the Lawsons, who control Marianne Station, the largest cattle station – the Australian term for ranch – in the world. In the pilot it is described as being the size of Belgium, which means it is even bigger YellowstoneDutton Ranch is only the size of Rhode Island. Patriarch Colin Lawson (Robert Taylor, known for Longmireone of the most popular television shows Yellowstone), a really mean bastard, has two sons, Daniel (Jake Ryan), who runs the network, and Graham (Michael Dorman, star of Joe Pickettanother show like Yellowstone), an alcoholic whom he treats with contempt. Graham is married to Emily (Anna Torv), an ambitious and extremely competent manager who dislikes Colin because she is an outsider and a woman. Graham and Emily have a daughter named Susie (Philippa Northeast), who dropped out of college to work at the station. Graham also has a son from his first marriage named Marshall (Sam Corlett), who has turned his back on the family and gotten involved with some petty criminals, but comes back after Daniel falls off a horse and is mauled by dingoes (seriously ). ). Daniel's death plunges the family into a succession crisis. Sensing their weakness, enemies attack to take their land, including rival ranchers, local gangsters, mining company executives and Aboriginal community leaders. From then on, the series follows the Lawsons as they fight against outside threats and each other for control of their inheritance.

This will all seem very familiar to you Yellowstone fans, but the similarities go beyond general premises and themes and into the specific. The parallels between the characters are very close – Colin is a tough and uncompromising patriarch like John Dutton (Kevin Costner), although he is meaner than John; Graham, like Jamie (Wes Bentley), is constantly looking for his father's approval and never receives it; Marshall is a long-haired prodigal son, like Kayce (Luke Grimes). There is no one exactly like Rip (Cole Hauser) and Beth (Kelly Reilly), but Emily has some similarities to Rip in that she married into the family and is good at running the day-to-day operations, although she has something with Graham Rip would never harm Beth. The death of the son most involved in the business occurs in the pilot of both series. And in both pilots, indigenous peoples claim ownership of cattle while the white rancher denies it. The costumes are similar—Western clothing, often emblazoned with the ranch logo—as is the sense of rural danger (if there were dingoes in Montana, it would be someone). Yellowstone would certainly be killed by them). The score has sweeping strings that sound like Yellowstone's, and the colloquial, profane, declarative dialogue sounds like it Yellowstoneit is too. Taylor Sheridan wouldn't use a mixed metaphor like “We're at the top of the food chain because we keep the lights on for the whole world,” but he would use that sentiment.

Area of course there are many differences Yellowstoneto; The plot differs significantly Yellowstone It's about episode 2, it's simpler and less philosophical than Yellowstoneand if anything, the family dynamic is even more dysfunctional. The deeper in Area The less you walk, the less it feels Yellowstone. But this pilot is like watching Yellowstone in a dream.

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I wouldn't use the word “shameless” to describe it Areatakes off Yellowstonebecause that implies that the producers should be ashamed, which they shouldn't be. It's smart business to try a regional “our version” of a hit show from elsewhere. And the Australian peculiarities are the most interesting part of it Area. I like it Yellowstonemany of the most entertaining scenes Area It's the moments when the narrative pauses to just watch cowboys do cowboy things, and down under they do things differently. The lingo is different – “gathering” instead of “rounding up”, “mob” instead of “herd”, etc. – and they drive ATVs and Mad Max cars instead of horses. Filming took place in the Northern Territory and South Australia, which are among the most isolated places on earth. So it's impressive and unusual to see something filmed there. For American viewers: Area is a cool way to see a part of the world that's more similar to America than you might think. It's a great example of how Netflix offers the opportunity to discover international television with an intent that other streaming services don't.

Netflix has been experimenting with different types of regional variations on its scripted shows for years – Spanish smash hit Money grab For example, I have a Korean adaptation and it feels like every country has its own version of a Netflix-style supernatural teen drama – but Area feels like something new for the service. As far as I can tell, it's the first time Netflix has done a blatant international imitation of someone else's hit series. There is no Brazilian game of Thrones or Norwegian Suitsbut there is now an Australian Yellowstone. This is notable because Netflix doesn't do business with Taylor Sheridan and hasn't produced its own top-shelf American soapy neo-Western family drama (although there are two traditional Western series in the works, Peter Berg's). American prehistoric era and Kurt Sutters The Forsaken). Netflix's global reach means the company can outsource its slightly unsavory experiments to far-flung outposts of its empire and see if they succeed. Maybe if Area Works, we'll see more Yellowstone-like shows from all over the world. Would you watch? Piedra Amarilla about Argentine gauchos or a spaghetti western Pietra Gialla? Whatever they choose to do, the neo-Western family drama is a Hollywood genre that continues to be sought after at home and abroad. In the meantime, if you want to watch Yellowstone on Netflix, Area is as close as possible.

Area is now streaming on Netflix.