Call it The Yellowstone Effect.
NBC has just ordered a pilot following ranch families and rodeo competitions, from producer and singer Shaun Cassidy.
The premise reads: “Three dynastic ranch families on the central coast of California make love and war in a passionate struggle to survive, ultimately setting the stage for a group of fiercely determined young women to win big for all at the National Championship of Rodeo.”
The Universal Television project may draw comparisons to the Montana-set Paramount+ drama, which follows a dynastic ranch family, led by Kevin Costner, and often explores the rodeo scene. Yellowstone broke ratings records during its recent fourth season (its finale drawing 9.3 million viewers) and has spawned two spinoffs — the currently airing 1883 and the forthcoming 6666.
There are some out-of-the-gate differences, such as Unbroken‘s focus on female rodeo contenders.
NBCUniversal is actually already in the Yellowstone business with its Peacock streaming service carrying the post-premiere rights to the series, which airs originals on Paramount+.
While Cassidy fans might know him best as a singer and actor, he’s served in producer roles on many TV titles — including Cold Case, New Amsterdam and Invasion.
Unbroken joins several other NBC pilots in contention for next season, including a reboot of Quantum Leap. Here’s a complete 2022 pilot season guide.
