Fans of Yellowstone clearly just can’t get enough of the series, and now, they are in for more with new prequels and spinoffs.
In 2021, creator Taylor Sheridan delivered 1883, a limited-run ten-episode series that chronicles the lives of the Duttons post-Civil war. The prequel finished last February 2022 with a smash-hitting record for Paramount+. But while their story ended there, a new prequel chapter titled 1923 (formerly 1932) is in the works.
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The series will highlight the descendants of the first-generation Duttons and is set to premiere its first episode this coming December 18. According to Sheridan, 1883 set the backstory of the Duttons, while 1923 is a moment in time “to peek back in because you’re seeing the children we’ve met in 1883 now attempting to raise another generation of Dutton at a time of the Wild West becoming a playground of the elite from the East.”
But wait, that’s still not where the Yellowstone universe ends.
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Aside from the prequels, the franchise is also introducing two spinoffs… so far. First, 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, which is a spinoff of the prequel 1883 and 6666, set at the historic Four Six Ranches in Texas.
And now that we’re all a bit overwhelmed with keeping up with the Duttons, here’s a quick guide to help us not miss a single beat.
1883
This is the origin story of Montana’s most powerful cattle ranch family.
Set in the late 1800s, 1883 to be exact, the story centers around James and Margaret Dutton – portrayed by the country music couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill – and their two children, Elsa (Isabel May) and John (Audie Rick).
The family flees from their life of poverty in Tennessee, so they travel to Fortworth, Texas, to start a new and fresh chapter. From there, they join an immigrant caravan led by former Union captain Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott). And as they cross the lawless land of the Great Plains to seek a better future in Oregon, they face bloody gunfights and numerous family hardships.
Multi-award winner Eric Nelsen joins the star-studded main cast along with LaMonica Garrett, Emma Malouff, Dawn Olivieri, Marc Rissmann, Anna Fiamora, James Landry Hébert, Alex Fine, Gratiela Brancusi, Nichole Galicia, Stephanie Nur, Amanda Jaros, Noah Le Gros, and Martin Sensmeier.
????️ Tom Hanks makes a cameo. Watch the whole show on Paramount+ to catch him!
1883: The Bass Reeves Story
Unlike 1883, this spinoff will not follow the story of the Duttons. Instead, it will dramatize the true story of Marshal Bass Reeves (David Oyelowo), the legendary cowboy and first Black US Marshal west of the Mississippi. He was rumored to have arrested more than 3,000 dangerous criminals and killed 14 people in self-defense without getting injured. So it definitely aligns with the wild ride narrative of Yellowstone.
The six-part series was originally announced back in 2021 as separate from Yellowstone, but it has since become a part of its growing universe. And we’ll just have to wait to see if and how his story connects with 1883 or the Duttons. Currently, the show is under wraps, but it has been reported that it started filming last October in Fort Worth, Texas (announced by Fort Worth mayor Mattie Parker).
????️ Aside from Oyelowo (who famously played Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma), there’s no news about the rest of the cast. Though Cole Hauser, who portrays Rip Wheeler, has spilled some tea at the Season 5 Premiere about his new goatee that was for a role he did in 1883. Did Rip travel two centuries back? We’ll see.
1923
Following 1883 is 1923, which jumps a few decades to the next two generations of Duttons. The show is set during the winding down days of the Old West – the historic drought, the epidemic of cattle theft, the end of the Prohibition era, and the Great Depression. And it will show fans how the Duttons survived all the hardships to become the most powerful family in Montana.
Headlining the eight-episode, two-season series are Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren playing Jacob and Cara Dutton. In its first official trailer, Ford is seen riding horses with his rifle aimed as he stares dramatically across the Montana Valley. So, we’re sure we’ll get our fill of action and violence while Season 5 lays out the Dutton’s political realm.
The series will debut its first episode on December 18 on Paramount+ after an episode of Yellowstone. The second will follow on January 1, 2023. Ford and Mirren will be joined by Darren Mann, Michelle Randolph, James Badge Dale, Marley Shelton, Brian Geraghty, Aminah Nieves, Julia Schlaepfer, Brandon Sklenar, and Jerome Flynn.
????️ 1923 will also build on the story of Thomas Rainwater’s (Gil Birmingham) family, which inches us closer to modern-day Yellowstone.
6666
6666, pronounced “Four Sixes,” is an enormous property encompassing a whole county in Texas that was introduced back in Yellowstone Season 4. It was the place where ranch hand Jimmy Hurdstrom (Jefferson White) was sent to get his act together. And now, it’s getting its own series – a taste of modern Yellowstone in a new setting.
According to the synopsis released by Paramount, the show will follow the legendary 6666 ranch “where the rule of law and the laws of nature merge in a place where the most dangerous thing one does is the next thing.” And there are talks that Yellowstone’s very own Jimmy and Walker (Ryan Bingham) will be part of the spinoff’s cast. As of now, both actors are coming back on Yellowstone Season 5.
????️ The ranch was named 6666 from the branding of Samuel Burnett’s first heard of cattle. The Burnett family has long owned the property as part of a trust until his great-granddaughter Anne Windfohr Marion died in early 2020. According to her will, the estate was put up for $341 million. Then it was purchased by Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan.
That’s it for now, but stay tuned for upcoming news of Yellowstone prequel and spinoff shows.