Yellowstone’s Top Threat Is an Underrated Southern Gem That's Perfect for TV

From its A-list cast to the sharp writing of Taylor Sheridan, Paramount’s Yellowstone has become a modern TV juggernaut. But its greatest strength has always been its premise, and that’s exactly why one Southern-set story stands out so clearly by comparison. Built on an even more provocative foundation, its core concept feels tailor-made to rival Yellowstone’s popularity.

When it comes to a work with a premise that is practically begging for a silver-screen adaptation, TV watchers need look no further than writer Jason Aaron and writer-artist Jason Latour’s Southern Bastards. Like Yellowstone, the series is a high-drama story that revolves around a staple of American culture.

However, rather than following the power struggles surrounding the largest cattle ranch in Montana, Southern Bastards centers on life in a small town in the American South, where football is everything and people attempt to get away with crime on a daily basis.

Why Southern Bastards Is a Small-Town Drama Built for Prestige Television

Award-Winning Series, Football Culture, and a Premise TV Audiences Already Love

Southern Bastards is a series that ran from 2014 to 2018, spanning a total of 20 issues. The official synopsis reads: “Welcome to Craw County, Alabama, home of Boss BBQ, the state champion Runnin' Rebs football team... and more bastards than you've ever seen. When you're an angry old man like Earl Tubb, the only way to survive a place like this... is to carry a really big stick.”

The series’ critical acclaim further underscores just how exceptional it is. Southern Bastards won the 2015 Harvey Award for Best New Series and the 2016 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series, a testament to its quality and impact. And if the success of NBC’s Friday Night Lights proved anything, it’s that audiences are deeply drawn to dramas rooted in football culture.

However, Southern Bastards distinguishes itself from Friday Night Lights through its heavier crime elements and more mature themes, placing it firmly in a league of its own. If there was ever a comic series destined for a TV adaptation, it would be Southern Bastards, as it has all the ingredients needed to become the next great television hit, and fortunately, that potential hasn’t gone unnoticed, with Hulu having already ordered a pilot for the series.

Southern Bastards is available in full to read now from Image Comics!