Every Yellowstone Spinoff Explained

Sean is a senior writer for ScreenRant and has been writing about new TV releases since December 2023. He has received multiple advance screenings of popular shows and ideated his own coverage read by hundreds of thousands of readers.
Sean is a self-published author of a Western novel. Sean has also written award-winning opinion pieces related to local politics while getting his Bachelor's degree in journalism.
Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone has become a franchise unto itself in recent years; here's what you need to know about every Yellowstone spinoff series. Though Taylor Sheridan is most famous for Yellowstone, he's become one of the most prolific screenwriters in Hollywood as of late. The list of Sheridan's best shows is almost dauntingly long, and he's only going to add more shows and movies in coming years.
With as many shows as Sheridan has written, it can be difficult to even decipher which ones are related to Yellowstone. After all, Sheridan's shows often feature Western settings and genres, all-star casts, and other similarities that make them quite close to one another. Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, The Madison, Landman, Lioness, and Lawmen: Bass Reeves are all standalone stories that don't connect to Yellowstone.
Question 1 of 3
As it stands, there are currently five shows in the Yellowstone franchise; Yellowstone itself and four different spinoff shows. There's also a chance that the Yellowstone franchise could continue to grow thanks to Taylor Sheridan's upcoming shows. Another Yellowstone prequel show, 1944, is reportedly still in development, though it has been several years since it was first announced. While it's not yet clear if 1944 will ever be completed or when it could debut, there is still a chance that it will be the fifth spinoff in the franchise.
While it's not absolutely necessary to watch every Yellowstone show to enjoy the original series, knowing at least a bit about them helps make the entire experience better. Sheridan crafted each of these stories to expand upon the Dutton family's history and help turn Yellowstone from a simple Western soap opera into a sweeping, multi-generational epic. There are even a few characters from spinoff shows who appear in Yellowstone itself, meaning knowing about each of the spinoffs can clear up any confusion.
|
Yellowstone Show |
Seasons |
When It's Set |
|---|---|---|
|
1883 |
1 |
1883 |
|
1923 |
2 |
1923 |
|
Yellowstone |
5 |
2018–2023 |
|
Marshals |
At least 2 |
2025-Present |
|
Dutton Ranch |
At least 2 |
2025-Present |
1883
The first Yellowstone spinoff show, both chronologically and in the real world, was 1883. Named after the year in which it was set, 1883 followed Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott), James Dutton (Tim McGraw), and his family as they traveled along the Oregon Trail and eventually settled the land that would later become the Yellowstone ranch. 1883 is a gritty Western that paints a stark picture of the brutality and violence that defined Westward Expansion, and no one highlights that better than Elsa Dutton (Isabel May), the first Dutton whose life was defined by tragedy.
1883 is also one of the most influential Yellowstone spinoffs in terms of the franchise's overarching story. It details the origins of the ranch and the Dutton family's ties to the local Lakota tribe. It also introduced the idea of the Dutton family's generational curse, where every member of the family experienced some devastating tragedy. Elsa also provides narration for 1923 and the finale of Yellowstone itself, which helps bind the entire franchise together into one sweeping, multi-generational epic.
1923
After 1883 is another prequel series, 1923. As the name implies, 1923 takes place 40 years later and focuses on the next generation of Duttons. It follows James' brother, Jacob (Harrison Ford) and his wife, Cara (Helen Mirren), as they try to defend their ranch from Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton), a greedy businessman. Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar), a WWI veteran, makes a perilous journey home from Africa along with his new wife, Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer) to help in the fight against Whitfield.
1923's main contribution to the Yellowstone franchise, however, was in expanding the history of Thomas Rainwater's (Gil Birmingham) ancestry. The show delves deep into Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves) as she escapes from an abusive Catholic boarding school and goes on the run from the law. 1923 also explored some familiar areas of Yellowstone lore, such as giving an origin for the infamous "train station" from the show.
Marshals
Taylor Sheridan has also been looking to the future of the Dutton family in recent years. Kayce Dutton's (Luke Grimes) Marshals is the first sequel spinoff set after the ending of Yellowstone. The show follows Kayce and his son, Tate (Brecken Merrill), as they deal with the aftermath of Monica's (Kelsey Asbille) death from cancer. Kayce begins a new job, switching from livestock agent to U.S. Marshal.
Marshals significantly changed the format of Yellowstone and its previous sequels. Rather than featuring a season-long story focused on the ranch and the Dutton family itself, Marshals is an episodic, "case of the week" police procedural that follows Kayce and his team hunting down criminals. Marshals also is the first Yellowstone show to premiere on CBS, as all the other installments are Parmount+ exclusives. It does, however, have a smaller overarching story that sees Tom Weaver (Chris Mulkey) trying to strong arm Kayce into surrendering control of East Camp.
Since Kayce and Beth sold the vast majority of the Yellowstone ranch to the Broken Rock Reservation at the end of the show, Marshals is also the last saga of the Dutton family's ancestral land. Kayce's home at East Camp is all that remains of the original massive ranch, and even Chief Rainwater's land is being threatened by Weaver. On top of it all, Marshals season 2 has promised that Kayce will have to grapple with the "Dutton family curse" and could end up becoming just like his father, John Dutton III (Kevin Costner).
Dutton Ranch
The most recent Yellowstone spinoff is another sequel series, this time focusing on Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser). Dutton Ranch follows Beth and Rip moving to Rio Paloma, Texas, after the ranch they purchased at the end of Yellowstone burned down. While in Texas, the couple tries to run another ranch, only to be met with resistance from the local 10 Petals ranch, which has ties to the cartel.
|
Taylor Sheridan's Upcoming Shows |
|
|---|---|
|
Title |
Release Date/Window |
|
Marshals season 2 |
October 4, 2026 |
|
Tulsa King season 4 |
October 16, 2026 |
|
Mayor of Kingstown season 5 |
Late 2026/Early 2027 |
|
Landman season 3 |
Early 2027 |
|
Dutton Ranch season 2 |
Mid-2027 |
|
Frisco King |
2027 |
|
The Madison season 2 |
2027 |
|
Lioness season 4 |
TBD |
|
1944 |
TBD |
Like Marshals, Dutton Ranch is also returning for a new season that will push the story of the Dutton family's last survivors even further forward. The main thing Dutton Ranch accomplishes for the franchise is a whole is showing that the "Dutton curse" follows them everywhere, and that the tragedy that has defined them for generations isn't just tied to the land in Montana. But, even with all the tragedy Yellowstone and its spinoffs have thrown at them, the Dutton family is still going strong.
- Release Date
- 2018 - 2024-00-00
- Network
- Paramount Network
- Showrunner
- Taylor Sheridan
- Directors
- Stephen Kay, Taylor Sheridan, Christina Alexandra Voros, Guy Ferland, John Dahl
- Writers
- John Coveny, Ian McCulloch
-
John Dutton
-
Kayce Dutton
- Franchise(s)
- Yellowstone
- Creator(s)
- Taylor Sheridan, John Linson
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