Though many now associate Kevin Costner with his role in Yellowstone, he previously starred in Hatfields & McCoys, a Western series that arguably revitalized the genre. While Yellowstone has become a defining role for the acclaimed actor and director later in his career, it often overshadows his extensive earlier work.
Many new Western TV shows are compared to Yellowstone, but the series likely wouldn’t have become so popular without Kevin Costner as its lead. He demonstrated his talent for the genre in a previous Western TV appearance six years earlier, before taking on the role of John Dutton III in Yellowstone.
Hatfields & McCoys Was Nominated For 16 Emmys And Won 5
Kevin Costner both produced and acted in the 2012 History Channel miniseries, Hatfields & McCoys. The show dramatized the famous and long-lasting conflict between the Hatfield family from West Virginia and the McCoy family from Kentucky, a feud that started around the mid-1800s and continued until the early 1890s.
Kevin Costner stars as William Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield, the head of the Hatfield family, in the three-part miniseries. The show has a 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for two Golden Globes: Best Miniseries or TV Film and Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film. Costner won the award for Best Actor.
The show received an impressive 16 Emmy nominations, including 9 for Creative Arts Emmys. Hatfields & McCoys ultimately won five Emmys. Kevin Costner was recognized as Outstanding Lead Actor, and Tom Berenger won for Outstanding Supporting Actor. This Emmy win was Costner’s first and only, and it was only his second Golden Globe award until Yellowstone.
How Hatfields & McCoys Is Different From Yellowstone
Even though both Hatfields & McCoys and Yellowstone feature Kevin Costner as a tough family leader, they are distinct shows, especially when you consider when they’re set. Both explore themes of family bonds, getting revenge, and defending what people believe is rightfully theirs, but Hatfields & McCoys feels more like a heartbreaking story.
As a big fan of Western dramas, I’ve been thinking about what makes the tragedy in Yellowstone different from something like Hatfields & McCoys. With Hatfields & McCoys, it felt like bigger, almost unavoidable historical forces were tearing people apart. But Yellowstone‘s tragedy? That feels way more personal, driven by the characters’ own choices and greed. It’s a more human kind of pain. And honestly, it’s a little shocking that a show with 53 episodes only got one Emmy nomination – that’s something else to consider!
Kevin Costner Loves Sweeping, Multipart Westerns
Kevin Costner has a long history with grand, sweeping Westerns, starring in films like Dances with Wolves and the popular series Yellowstone. His new project, Horizon: An American Saga, is planned as a multi-part story, similar to Hatfields & McCoys. If all the planned installments are released, Costner could remain the defining figure in the Western genre for years to come.
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2025-11-08 01:08