Yellowstone may be getting two additional prequel series. The show, which was created by Hell or High Water writer Taylor Sheridan, premiered on the Paramount Network in 2018. It follows Kevin Costner as John Dutton, the patriarch of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, which has been in his family for generations. In addition to dealing with family drama, he endeavors to protect the ranch from various outside influences, including predatory land developers.
Although Yellowstone has not been on the air for very long, with season 5 dropping on November 13, it has already begun to expand into its very own sprawling television universe. The prequel series 1883, which followed the first generation of Duttons to settle on the land, premiered in May of this year and will be getting its own spinoff series titled 1883: The Bass Reeves Story coming soon.
The story of the Duttons is also continuing into 1923, another period piece starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren as a Dutton couple facing the Great Depression. Also in development is a third spinoff titled 6666, which will follow the goings-on at the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas.
Per Deadline, Sheridan is currently in talks for a huge expansion of t he Yellowstone universe. For one thing, he is pursuing the option of having 1923 span a second season, with the current cast in talks to return. On top of that, he is in early development on two additional shows that will follow the ranch during the 1940s and the 1960s.
Why There Are So Many Yellowstone Spinoff Shows
While the sheer amount of Yellowstone properties may seem overwhelming, there is a completely understandable reason that the franchise has become so vast so quickly. Yellowstone is an enormous hit for the network, with each season receiving more viewers than the last. After the season 4 finale was the highest-rated cable television episode since The Walking Dead in 2017, the trailer for season 5 racked up 14.4 million views in just one day, and the series shows no signs of slowing down.
The Paramount Network is not one that has produced many huge hits in recent years, although some of their shows, including Ink Master and Bar Rescue, have strong reality audiences. With audience interest in Yellowstone seeming to only increase, it makes sense that they would want to lean into the enthusiasm for the series. These Yellowstone prequel series are also becoming a cornerstone for their streaming service Paramount+, which has largely relied on the popular but limited Star Trek Universe to keep up subscriber interest.