Daily Dirt: ‘Yellowstone,’ ‘Blue Bloods’ and ‘1883’ rule Steve’s final TV rankings

“Yellowstone” is the perfect show with the perfect cast. No wonder it is No. 1 … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 276 of The Daily Dirt.

1. It’s final. For the second straight viewing season, “Yellowstone” is the No. 1 show in the Land of Steve.

The Kevin Costner-led ranch drama was No. 1 in our midseason listing in early January, and will finish the TV year atop our poll. Here’s a look at our final top 10:

• 1. “Yellowstone”: I’m still a firm believer Cole Hauser will eventually emerge as this program’s uber star. The new season will debut “sometime in the fall,” but there is no specific release date yet from Paramount.
• 2. “Blue Bloods”: The venerable cop family show regained some momentum during the 2021-22 season, thanks I think to expanded emphasis on both Donnie Wahlberg (Danny Reagan) and Vanessa Ray (Eddie Janko).
• 3. “1883”: (PUBLISHER’S NOTE: SPOILER! JRG) I still can’t believe Sam Elliott killed himself on the beach in that final episode.
• 4. “NCIS: Los Angeles”: The budding star on this show is Medallion Rahimi, who portrays agent Fatima Namazi.
• 5. “S.W.A.T.”: The expanded romantic interest involving Shemar Moore (Hondo Harrelson) and Rochelle Aytes (Nichelle, no last name ever given) should be interesting to watch next season. Those who watched “Criminal Minds” might remember these two having similar roles on that program.
• 6. “NCIS”: Gary Cole’s role as Alden Parker, the replacement for Mark Harmon (Leroy Jethro Gibbs), needs more freedom to develop his own niche.
• 7. “The Walking Dead”: It’s simply time to bring this zombiefest to a conclusion.
• 8. “Sunday Night Football” on NBC: It will be interesting to see how an Al Michaels-less broadcast crew is accepted.
• 9. “Fear the Walking Dead”: This zombiefest spinoff is losing its direction, I think. Next season is going to be critical.
• 10. The Blacklist: The James Spader epic has enjoyed a nice rebound the second half of the current season.

Honorable mention: “Young Sheldon,” “NCIS: Hawaii,” “Reacher”.

Steve’s Previous No. 1 Shows

• 2021: “Yellowstone” (Paramount)
• 2020: “Yellowstone” (Paramount)
• 2019: “Blue Bloods” (CBS)
• 2018: “Blue Bloods” (CBS)
• 2017: “House of Cards” (Netflix)
• 2016: “House of Cards” (Netflix)
• 2015: “The Walking Dead” (AMC)
• 2014: “The Blacklist” (NBC)
• 2013: “The Walking Dead” (AMC)
• 2012: “Suits” (USA)
• 2011: “American Idol” (Fox)
• 2010: “American Idol” (Fox)

2. This week, we’re presenting a tribute to another forgotten rock group of the past.

This time it’s the Turtles. There was no group hotter in the mid-to-late 1960s, and then the boys from Los Angeles disappeared. Here’s our five favorite Turtles songs that charted:

1. “It Ain’t Me Babe” (1965): This was actually the cover of a Bob Dylan song.

2. “She’d Rather Be With Me” (1967): One of lead singer Howard Kaylan’s best performances.

3. “Happy Together” (1967): The group’s signature song and lone Billboard No. 1.

4. “You Baby” (1966): Arguably, the group’s most underrated hit.

5. “You Know What I Mean” (1967): The beach video that accompanies this song remains hilarious to this day.

3. For those conspiracy theorists, you might expect a surge in MLB home runs and overall scoring at some point this season. 

Through April, the collective MLB batting average was .231, considerably below 1968’s all-time low of .237.

Want more? MLB teams were averaging a combined 4.03 runs, the lowest since 1981. Offense sells tickets and TV ratings, so watch for an uptick at some point this season.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Since Steve started ranking TV shows in 2010, he says his all-time favorite program is “Suits,” the former USA Network show that starred Gabriel Macht as lawyer Harvey Specter, possibly his favorite TV character ever.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He has a Beth Dutton poster on his wall at home.