Trying to Make Sense of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Universe

For a franchise as secure in viewers’ hearts as the Yellowstone universe and the Dutton family have become, you’d think it …

The post Trying to Make Sense of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Universe appeared first on TV Fanatic.

For a franchise as secure in viewers’ hearts as the Yellowstone universe and the Dutton family have become, you’d think it would be easier to understand the varying levels of spinoffs and prequels spinning around.

It’s not.

Even with insider subscriptions to well-connected minds, things get muddier by the day.

Rumors have been swirling about Michelle Pfeiffer’s involvement with Sheridan for a while. About a week back, TV Line reported another offshoot titled Madison, starring Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell, and Patrick J Adams.

Today, Paramount officially revealed the title. So, let’s break things down and see what we know and how we know it. Whether we can make sense of it for longer than an hour is worth the experiment, right?

The Yellowstone Flagship

Yellowstone

We all know this one! This is the grandbaby of them all, which is confusing since it spawned all of the others.

In the familial sense, it’s the granddaddy, but Beth Dutton and her brother Kacey and their adopted brother, Jamie, are very far down the line of other Dutton characters we’ve come to know.

Was Jamie ever truly adopted, or was he just raised as a Dutton? That’s about as clear as the Yellowstone universe lineage.

Yellowstone’s story hinged on everything the Duttons created after arriving in Montana in 1883.

The crux of the series is that John Dutton was working hard to stave off anybody and everybody who wanted to claim or reclaim Dutton land, whether by old Native American laws or Federal or State laws, to be written or manipulated to do the job.

John was a respected father, but there was a significant lack of it between his children.

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The Dutton relationships are not touchy-feely but anchored in generational pride and determination not to lose sight of promises made to the land and each other. They are over a century in the making.

It’s good, dramatic, soapy stuff that strums every string on our emotional guitars.

For reasons recounted elsewhere on this and other sites ad nauseam, Yellowstone will begin to grind to a halt this November.

While Sheridan often surprises with his scripts, we’re going in blind, so the final episodes will be a trip.

Yellowstone Prequels

1883 (Concluded)

This one is easy. 1883 was Yellowstone’s first prequel. It followed John Dutton’s ancestors, James and Margaret Dutton, and their children, Elsa and John Sr.

The prequel featured married stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as James and Margaret Dutton, and ended after one beautifully tragic season.

This wasn’t a closed-end story, though, as we learned of the family’s fate through a Yellowstone flashback. These shows can be as interconnected as they are hard to navigate.

The series also starred Sam Elliott and LaMonica Garrett as their characters joined the Duttons and many others on a Wagon Train north.

1923 (In Production)

This 1883 sequel and Yellowstone prequel carries on the story in 1923 Montana.

James and Margaret have both died and their sons, John Jr. and Spencer, along with John’s family, live at the Dutton Montana homestead with their uncle Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford) and his wife, Cara (Helen Mirren).

Spencer and Jack are the characters relative to the Dutton line we know on Yellowstone.

Both are now married to strong, passionate women with love stories that should be passed down through generations. I say should be since we’ve never heard about them on Yellowstone.

The connective tissue flashbacks on Yellowstone that featured 1883 stories are not present with 1923.

1923 Season 2 will conclude the chapter. We do not know when that chapter will continue.

1944 (In Development)

We have no details about the next Yellowstone prequel and 1883 and 1923 sequel, 1944; however, it seems logical that this will involve John Dutton’s father’s story.

We met him briefly as played by Dabney Coleman on Yellowstone Season 2 Episode 10.

From what I can recall, we have not had any further brushes with him, even when John is played by Josh Lucas as a younger man.

We have no further information on timing, cast, or storyline.

Yellowstone Sequels

6666 (In Development)

During Yellowstone Season 4, the story shifted quite a bit toward Jimmy Hurdstrom (Jefferson White), a ranch hand and bearer of the Yellowstone brand.

When Jimmy failed to heed John’s advice, John sent him to a ranch in Texas to find himself. Sheridan’s interest in the ranch came when he purchased the actual ranch on which 6666 is based — The Four Sixes Ranch.

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The series description follows:

“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…

The 6666 is synonymous with the merciless endeavor to raise the finest horses and livestock in the world, and ultimately where world-class cowboys are born and made.“

There hasn’t been any chatter about the series in a while, so as far as we know, it’s still on track.

Madison (Formerly Used Working Title 2024)

This is where it gets confusing.

There has long been talk about a present-day offshoot of Yellowstone, but since it was first revealed at about the same time talks between Sheridan, Costner, and Paramount+ broke down, it was believed to be a sequel.

Matthew McConaughey’s and Michelle Pfeiffer’s names were attached. However, it’s not the Yellowstone continuation with the Dutton family but another story altogether.

Paramount+ shared that the series is a heartfelt study of grief and human connection following a New York City family in the Madison River valley of central Montana.

“Michelle Pfeiffer is a remarkable talent who imbues every role with emotional depth, authenticity and grace,” said Chris McCarthy, Paramount Global Co-CEO and President/CEO, Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios.

“She is the perfect anchor to the newest chapter of the Yellowstone universe, Madison, from the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan.”

This release makes no mention of the Dutton family or the stars TV Line reported to be attached.

Untitled Yellowstone Continuation

Apparently, there is still another series in the offing that will carry on the Dutton saga with stars Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, and Luke Grimes said to be thisclose to locking down contracts.

Maybe it’s just me, but this is the story I’m most interested in following.

Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler give love stories a good name, and Kayce Dutton offers a balance to their passions for each other and life.

Until the press release for Madison, it seemed that Madison and 2024 were two different shows. The press release cleared that up by noting that Madison had previously been announced as 2024.

Given the nature of the other prequels, we assumed that 2024 would be a Dutton offshoot of some kind. So, we have no idea what this unnamed series might be called or how it’s referenced. We only know that sources are fairly certain it will come to pass.

Where Does Matthew McConaughey Fit In?

While McConaughey’s name was attached to one of these series initially, he might not fit in at all.

Puck News has been closer than any other source to what’s happening here, and after the Madison announcement, they practically closed the door on his involvement in any way.

McConaughey could have been scared off by the long negotiation process and the very public dispute between Sheridan and Costner. While many stars have found a home with Sheridan across multiple projects, McConaughey is known for being laid back and introspective.

Perhaps he thinks it’s not a good fit. That’s sheer speculation on my part, of course.

I can’t think of anyone more suited to stepping into the Yellowstone Saga than McConaughey, so we’ll keep our ears to the ground with any potential news on that front.

Other Taylor Sheridan Series

Of course, none of this speaks to the myriad other shows Sheridan now produces.

Of those already airing, we have Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, and Special Ops: Lioness.

Billy Bob Thornton’s Landman premieres in conjunction with Yellowstone Season 5b on Sunday, November 17.

You can find past seasons of Yellowstone on Peacock, and new episodes on Paramount Network. All other series are on Paramount+. If you ever consider selling your soul for a fast buck, consider how much Paramount regrets selling the streaming rights to Peacock.

It may have been bad for their business, but it’s excellent for us — it spawned an entire universe with Sheridan.

The title of the article says it all. We’re trying to make sense of the sequels and prequels, and it’s not easy.

What are your favorite Yellowstone shows, and which upcoming shows are on your radar? Shoot us a comment below.

The post Trying to Make Sense of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Universe appeared first on TV Fanatic.