Taylor Sheridan has expanded her Yellowstone-about last year with 1883, a prequel about the Dutton family moving west. Now Sheridan is back with 1923, a star-studded saga that continues the story of the Duttons and the Yellowstone Ranch. But there is still a big time gap between 1883 and 1923—and an even bigger one between 1923 and Yellowstone. Here’s some info on the latest spin-off and what we can expect:

Fast facts

• 1923 stars Hollywood legends Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren as Jacob and Cara Dutton, the current owners of the Yellowstone Ranch.
• It’s the first time Ford and Helen Mirren have appeared on screen together since 1986. The Mosquito Coast.
• 1923 is creator and producer Taylor Sheridan’s fifth series on Paramount/Paramount+, after Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown, 1883and king of tulsa. It’s like the new Shonda Rhimes, but with a distinctly western flavor.
• The new series will cover Montana’s post-World War I era, including the flu pandemic, depression, and prohibition.
• Historical Note: The Depression hit Montana about 10 years earlier than the rest of the country, but it was also the first state to repeal Prohibition in 1926.
• 1923 debuts exclusively on Paramount+ on Sunday, December 18, with the first of eight episodes. The second episode will air on January 1, 2023, and the rest will air weekly.

How it works 1923 integrate into the Yellowstone chronology?

1923 begins 40 years after the Duttons arrived in Montana and, according to a flashback scene from season four of Yellowstone, 30 years after the death of patriarch James Dutton in 1893. 1923 chronicles the life of the next generation of the Dutton family.

Who are Jacob and Cara Dutton?

Jacob Dutton is James Dutton’s brother and Cara is his Irish-born wife. To put it into perspective – and amidst much debate – Jacob and Cara are the great-great-great-great-great-uncle and aunt of “current” John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner. And just to let you know: there is a plot by John Duttons, so it can be a little hard to follow. Jacob and Cara have no children. They are parental figures of James and Margaret’s surviving children, John Sr. (who has a son, John Jr., called Jack) and Spencer, played by James Badge Dale respectively (The dead, iron man 3) and Brandon Sklenar (Westworld, Vice). The heir and successor, so to speak, are also heavily involved in the running of the ranch.

What is 1923the scenario ?

In the trailer, there’s a voiceover from Elsa Dutton, James and Margaret’s daughter, who died in the finale of 1883. “Violence has always haunted the Dutton family… where it doesn’t follow, we track it. We are looking for him. The following trailers detail the problems the Dutton family faced at the start of the 20th century: drought, impending poverty, cattle rustling, and an intruder from the East Coast. attempting to take their land, as the Duttons threaten, shoot and kill to protect their property rights and defend their family. So not much is different from what’s going on with the Yellowstone Ranch right now. As “our” John Dutton frequently points out, the struggle is real and ongoing.

Specifically, the biggest threat comes from Donald Whitfield, the East Coast transplant villain. Portrayed by Timothy Dalton (The crown, License to kill) with mustache-twirling intensity, he owns the Stratford ranch next to the Yellowstone. But, as he tells a cohort, “I want the whole valley!” History says he will fail, but it should be interesting to know how.

Banner Creighton, played by Patrick Flynn, last seen as Bronn in game of thrones, is another antagonist. Creighton is a Scottish immigrant and leader of the local sheep farmers who clashes with Jacob and Cara over the Duttons’ methods.

Like the previous Yellowstone series, 1923 will also explore the lives of local Native Americans at the time. Aminah Nieves plays Teonna Rainwater, likely related to from Yellowstone Chief Thomas Rainwater. Here, she is a young girl forced to attend one of the abusive re-education boarding schools for native children then rampant in the Western Territories.

Who else is in the cast?

Other familiar faces from the cast include Robert Patrick (Terminator 2, Peacemaker), who plays local sheriff William McDowell. Sebastien Roche (Supernatural, The Vampire Diary), Jennifer Ehle (She says, Pride and Prejudice), and Kerry O’Malley (snowdrops) portray the priest and nuns who run the boarding school Teonna Rainwater attends.

What we don’t know 1923

Since Elsa provided the voiceover for 1883we wonder if this appearance means she will do the same for this sequel or if the trailer was unique.

There is also the mystery surrounding what happened to Margaret Dutton between 1893 and 1923. When and how did Jacob and Cara take over the ranch and take care of her two sons? And where did they live before that? We are confident, however, that these questions will be answered in time.

Why should you watch

1883 was a hugely popular show, averaging 4.9 million viewers in its first season, but why settle for that? Taylor Sheridan and Paramount+ are making a calculated bet that if you haven’t signed up to the streaming service to watch Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, you will for Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, who seem like the perfect couple to represent the next generation from The Anti-Heroes Dutton.

If you are a fan of Yellowstone franchise, it looks like a must-have regardless. Sheridan is often criticized for the incredibly unrealistic scenes in some of his scripts (*ahem* the Secret Service shooting pet dogs) and for his female characters who are bright and sexy but only have three emotional gears: sad, angry or excited.

What’s interesting about Sheridan’s storytelling is his non-traditional take on the Western genre. Say what you will of his perceived conservatism, but he’s not afraid to speak the brutal truth about how the West was conquered, built and held, or the physical and emotional costs to everyone involved. White settlers are constantly fighting with each other for land and with the land for survival. The indigenous population from whom they stole this land is first massacred, then displaced and ignored, always. It was like that, and it’s still like that today. Rinse the blood and repeat. We’re curious to see how it all plays out in this new Yellowstone origin story.