Forget Yellowstone, A Different Show Crowned Taylor Sheridan 'King Of Westerns'
Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones.
You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep."
Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant.
Taylor Sheridan's flagship TV show Yellowstone has come to redefine the Western by bringing an outdated genre into the modern age. It might be the most well-known series associated with Sheridan, who is often single-handedly credited for beginning a new Golden Age of Westerns, but Yellowstone is not the series that has led to him being crowned the "king of Westerns." Taylor Sheridan's Westerns are distinctive for mixing gritty modern issues and brutal violence with deep emotional storylines and visually stunning landscapes, but he began his career in a different genre.
Taylor Sheridan's career began with action thriller movies, and he has brought many of the themes found in this genre to his Westerns, but it was the biker drama Sons of Anarchy that kickstarted his career change. After playing Deputy Chief David Hale for three years, Sheridan left Sons of Anarchy and, quickly dissatisfied with acting, would pursue other directing and writing projects. Even though Yellowstone was an immediate triumph, many directors can be one-hit wonders and Yellowstone was not enough to make his entire career. However, the show that came next was.
Taylor Sheridan Has 1883 To Thank For His 'King Of Westerns' Status
1883 continues the story of Yellowstone's Dutton family through a prequel set shortly after the Civil War. The ten-episode miniseries explains how the Duttons came to own the land that would become the ranch central to Yellowstone, and follows their journey from Tennessee to Texas, before they eventually settle in Montana. The show is not only tightly-written and acted by some of the best Western TV actors of all time, but it feels like a ten-hour epic rather than a serialized TV show, and it is this series that cemented Sheridan's status as a Western genre powerhouse.
While Yellowstone put Sheridan on the map with its winning formula and exciting new characters, 1883 proved that he could continue a story in an unexpected way. By making a prequel rather than a sequel or spinoff, this took Sheridan into a new genre: the classic Western. 1883 contains some of the best characters in a Taylor Sheridan Western, but with their way of life, setting, problems, and goals being so drastically different from the characters in Yellowstone, he could not be accused of simply reusing the same formula in another series.
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Comparing Yellowstone with 1883 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Title |
Year |
Seasons |
Rotten Tomatoes critics' rating |
Rotten Tomatoes audience rating |
|
Yellowstone |
2018 |
5 |
83% |
76% |
|
1883 |
2021 |
1 |
89% |
78% |
Yellowstone already had some well-respected actors, with the series being led by Kevin Costner (Dances With Wolves,) featuring Gil Birmingham (Banshee,) and introducing stars like Cole Hauser (Good Will Hunting) and Kelly Reilly (True Detective) to a wider audience. However, 1883 took Sheridan's partnerships with veteran actors to another level. The cast of 1883 includes Sam Elliott (Tombstone,) Billy Bob Thornton (Fargo,) and Tom Hanks (Saving Private Ryan,) giving the show even more critical acclaim and allowing Sheridan to continue building on his success, which includes standalone series and more of the Dutton family saga.
The Dutton Saga Is Not Over Yet
The Dutton family tree spans multiple generations and is a testament to just how ambitious Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone franchise really was. The family's Montana beginning was explored in 1883, and the saga extends into the present day with Yellowstone, and Taylor Sheridan's many Yellowstone TV shows are now filling in the gaps in between. It is likely that Yellowstone will always be the show most associated with Sheridan, but it took 1883 to prove that his skill as a writer and director was versatile enough to transcend both tone and time period.
Yellowstone might have won critics over by its final season, but it did not get off to a good start, earning a 58% positive Rotten Tomatoes score. On the other hand, 1883 showed how Sheridan had improved as a writer and director, packing a punch within just ten episodes. 1883 has not just beaten Yellowstone with its impressive Rotten Tomatoes scores, but it was praised by critics right from the start, with reviews highlighting the standout acting, with a Variety review describing the cast as "uniformly great" and highlighting Isabel May as "magnetic" for her portrayal of Elsa Dutton.
Having branched out with unrelated shows like Landman and Tulsa King, further proving his ability to create a compelling story outside of the Yellowstone universe, Taylor Sheridan has now confirmed 1923's Yellowstone sequel. While it may be some time before the next spinoff reaches our screens, season 2 of Marshals arrives next month, while Dutton Ranch has also been renewed for a second season, with Taylor Sheridan's flagship creation looking set to last for many more years.
Source: Variety
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1883
- Release Date
- 2021 - 2022-00-00
- Network
- Paramount+
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Sam Elliott
Shea Brennan
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Tim McGraw
James Dutton
1883 is a Western drama series set at the beginning of Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone franchise and explores the origins of the Duttons and how Yellowstone came to be. The show chronicles a generation of the Dutton family as they embark on a difficult journey to the western frontier to establish a new legacy.
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Taylor Sheridan
- Birthdate
- May 21, 1970
- Birthplace
- Cranfills Gap, Texas, USA
- Notable Projects
- Sicario, Wind River, Hell or High Water
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