A Guide to ‘Yellowstone’ and Its Many Spinoffs: Photos

Credit: Cam McLeod/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

A Guide to ‘Yellowstone’ and Its Many Spinoffs

There’s always more! Since Yellowstone debuted in 2018, the story of the Dutton family had enough potential to inspire three spinoffs (and counting) to add to the Paramount Network roster.

Yellowstone focuses on a powerful family that runs the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. Amid their success, the ranchers must deal with attacks coming from land developers, a Native American reservation and the first national park in America.

The critically acclaimed series quickly inspired several spinoffs from creator Taylor Sheridan. The screenwriter previously opened up about the hard work that goes into telling authentic stories on screen.

“Because it is so hard, physically, on the actors, on the crew, I feel like the shots look earned. And because Paramount trusts me and gives me the time to go shoot 10 to 14 days for a television episode, we can treat it like a movie, and it looks like a movie,” he told Deadline in January 2022. “We can take the time to rehearse it and light it and build these set pieces. And if I call them and say, ‘I need two helicopters in one day,’ they just go, ‘All right.​​ ‘”

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He added: “At the end of the day, to go to some of these locations where most people have never been, where you’re opening up a new world, and all of these places or characters in the story, to me, it’s fascinating.”

Even though the Yellowstone universe is growing, Sheridan has continued to focus on his original vision. After the premiere of 1883, the producer explained that he was satisfied with the singular season.

“I’m not someone who likes to tie everything up in a bow and explain how everyone lived happily after, or didn’t,” the Texas native told Deadline in February 2022 after the 1883 finale concluded with the characters ending up in Montana. “I also wanted to create something you could watch and be completely enthralled and fulfilled, having never seen Yellowstone. Let it live on its own merits.”

At the time, Sheridan broke down why he made a “close ended” finale that allowed him to explore new timeframes in future Yellowstone shows. ” [It is a] peek through a different window into a different era. Again, I don’t think of any of these as spinoffs, but rather as complete stories that have common roots,” he said. “My goal with the next one would be that you could never have seen 1883 or Yellowstone, and still have a fully realized experience as a viewer.”

Scroll down for a full guide to the Yellowstone franchise:

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Credit: Courtesy Paramount Plus/YouTube

‘1883’

The prequel premiered in December 2021 and told the story of how the Duttons came to own the Yellowstone Ranch land.

The cast included Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett and Marc Rissmann. It also featured Audie Rick, Eric Nelsen, James Landry Hébert and Noah Le Gros.

In February 2022, Sheridan confirmed that the series would not have a second season. That same month, Paramount announced that there would be additional episodes of 1883 but denied that it was a season 2 renewal.

Three months later, the network clarified that there is a planned follow-up with a new story line and different cast members. The limited series will be titled 1883: The Bass Reeves Story and will star David Oyelowo.

Credit: Cam McLeod/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

‘1923’

The upcoming series explores the Dutton Family during Western Expansion, Prohibition and the Great Depression. In May 2022, Paramount+ confirmed that Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren are set to lead the drama, which is slated to premiere in December 2022. One month later, the streaming service announced that the series, originally titled 1932, would now be called 1923. The new name also came with a slight plot change, with the series now focusing on the decade before the Great Depression and the end of Prohibition. 

Credit: Cam McLeod/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

‘6666’

The second spinoff, which will be released on Paramount+, is set to focus on the Four Sixes Ranch during present time.

The official synopsis reads, “Founded when Comanches still ruled West Texas, no ranch in America is more steeped in the history of the West than the 6666. Still operating as it did two centuries before, and encompassing an entire county, the 6666 is 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.”