On the other hand, Game of Thrones is an epic fantasy series that follows several families and individuals on their travels throughout Westeros as conflicts arise, which also includes magic and mysterious monsters. Clearly, on a surface level, these shows have absolutely nothing in common. However, their execution and several core themes make them remarkably similar despite the vastly different settings.

Game of Thrones Took The Fantasy Genre & Made It Prestige TV

For the longest time, fantasy stories have been viewed as being less complex and soulful when compared to classic and non-fictional stories. While they certainly have breadth, with expansive world-building, and very often have density in terms of the sheer duration of the story, they haven’t always had depth.

Specifically, depth is required to create a story that connects and resonates with audiences in more nuanced and complex ways. Game of Thrones is not about good and evil, and it isn’t afraid to explore the blurred lines of morality, while also exploring a wide range of emotions and themes. But it’s often difficult to do exactly that in fantasy, where good and evil are definitionally central to the stories being told.

Yellowstone Is The Perfect Prestige Western TV Show

Similarly, Westerns have often been viewed as generic and mindless. Pulpy action stories that fail to capture any real depth. And yet, Yellowstone took those expectations and turned them on their head by delivering one of the most compelling dramatic Westerns ever made.

It’s not just about cowboys and Indians, though both are present in the story, and it’s not just about riding on a horse and having a shootout at sundown, though that happens as well. It’s about exploring every aspect of these individual characters, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Yellowstone depicts morally grey characters. Sometimes, they appear to be the hero, and they show love and kindness to their peers, but at other times, they are doing unspeakably immoral things in order to get their way. This complexity and nuance, done to an incredibly high standard, make it a compelling and addictive watch.

Yellowstone & Game of Thrones Have A Lot In Common

On that note, the opening credits for both shows appear similar, with the intense instrumental music playing over intricate images that create a sense of grandeur and expansiveness. After the credits roll, the presence of sex and violence as central parts of each helps to highlight yet another commonality.

However, potentially the biggest connection between the two shows is the power struggle. In Yellowstone, the Dutton’s own a sizable chunk of land, and they wield incredible power in the state where they live. However, they face threats from other groups who want to lay claim to their land and infringe on their borders.

In Game of Thrones, the central narrative comes from the contest for power. Several parties wish to lay claim to step up as the leader of Westeros. Powerful families like the Targaryens and the Lannisters are at war, and frequent clashes move the story along.

Both Game Of Thrones & Yellowstone Break Genre Traditions To Make Something New

In this way, and several others, both Yellowstone and Game of Thrones have taken their stories and elevated them to become something much grander. It would be unfair to simply label either as being just a Western or just a fantasy, because both incorporate several elements across a variety of genres.

As such, these shows transcend the usual genre stereotypes, and they ascend to become something far more significant and entertaining than the sum of their parts. By breaking tradition, they manage to appeal to a wider audience, rather than narrowly fitting one brief and settling into a comfortable but limited niche.

Instead, Game of Thrones and Yellowstone have opted to explore the depth, width, and breadth of storytelling in extremely refined prestige TV formats. And thanks to this, and their similar central themes of power struggles and how far humans will go to lay claim to what they believe is theirs, both shows offer a similarly captivating experience.