Yellowstone (franchise)

• 1. Introduction

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  The Yellowstone franchise, also called the Duttonverse, began with a pitch that Taylor Sheridan summed up as "The Godfather in Montana". HBO heard the idea and declined. That rejection did not end it. The idea grew into an American media franchise created by Sheridan and John Linson, and it is now owned by Paramount Skydance. At its center is the Dutton family, followed across generations. The franchise now stretches over a cable channel, a streaming service and a broadcast network. How did a turned-down idea become a sprawling set of series? Why did one show lead to prequels, a sequel and spinoffs, and why did one of those eventually leave the family behind? And how did critics who started out lukewarm end up reviewing a show watched by millions?

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• 2. Writing And Greenlight

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  In 2013, Taylor Sheridan had grown tired of acting and turned to writing screenplays. One of them became Yellowstone. He had lived in rural parts of states such as Texas and Wyoming, and he drew on that experience. He chose Montana as the setting and wrote the first scripts in Livingston. Sheridan first wrote the story as a film rather than a television series.

  In May 2017, Paramount Network announced that Yellowstone would be its first scripted series. The channel ordered a first season of ten episodes. Sheridan was set to write, direct and executive produce. The other executive producers named at the time were John Linson, Art Linson, Harvey Weinstein and David C. Glasser. The production companies were Linson Entertainment and The Weinstein Company.

  In October 2017, following reports of sexual abuse allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein, it was announced that his name would be removed from the credits. The Weinstein Company would be removed too. In January 2018, Kevin Kay, president of Paramount Network, spoke at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour. He said the Weinstein Company's credits and logo would not appear on the show, even though the company had been involved in production. The plan was to substitute the company's new name once it was available. That same day, the network announced a premiere date of the 20th of June 2018.

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• 3. The Dutton World

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  The largest cattle ranch in Montana sits at the center of everything, and it belongs to the Duttons. The Yellowstone Dutton Ranch is their home and their business, and the drama turns on the family that owns it. Three forces press on its borders: the Broken Rock Indian Reservation, Yellowstone National Park and land developers.

  Kevin Costner plays John Dutton III in the main series. Kelly Reilly plays Beth Dutton, Luke Grimes plays Kayce Dutton, and Wes Bentley plays James Michael "Jamie" Dutton. Cole Hauser plays Rip Wheeler, and Gil Birmingham plays Thomas Rainwater. Brecken Merrill plays Tate Dutton.

  The 6666 Ranch in Texas appears in the fourth and fifth seasons of the main series. Season four also reached backward in time, with flashbacks of two earlier Duttons, James and Margaret.

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• 4. Five Seasons

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  In July 2018, Paramount Network renewed Yellowstone for a second season. That season premiered on the 19th of June 2019. Paramount renewed the show for a third season in June 2019, and it premiered on the 21st of June 2020.

  In February 2020, the network ordered a fourth season even before the third had aired. The fourth season premiered on the 7th of November 2021. A fifth season followed after a renewal in February 2022, and it was split into two installments. The first installment premiered on the 13th of November 2022.

  In May 2023, Paramount announced that Costner would be leaving the series at the end of Part 1 of the fifth season. The second part of that fifth and final season premiered on the 10th of November 2024. It closed a run that began in 2018.

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• 5. Prequels

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  On the 19th of December 2021, the prequel series 1883 premiered on Paramount+. It ended after ten episodes on the 27th of February 2022. The series was announced in February 2021 as part of a five-year deal signed by Sheridan with ViacomCBS and MTV Entertainment Group. Its working title was Y: 1883. On disc, it was marketed as 1883: A Yellowstone Origin Story.

  Set in that year, the story follows a generation of Duttons on an arduous journey across the country. They settle the land that would become the Yellowstone Ranch. Sam Elliott plays Shea Brennan, Tim McGraw plays James Dutton, Faith Hill plays Margaret Dutton, and Isabel May plays Elsa Dutton. James is the great-grandfather of John Dutton III.

  The second prequel, 1923, was announced in February 2022. Its first season premiered on Paramount+ on the 18th of December 2022. The show concluded on the 6th of April 2025, after two seasons and sixteen episodes. It was first titled and set in the year 1932, but both changed during development.

  As a sequel to 1883, the show follows a new generation of Duttons. The era brings Western Expansion, Prohibition and the Great Depression, which in Montana started a decade earlier. Helen Mirren plays Cara Dutton, Harrison Ford plays Jacob Dutton, Brandon Sklenar plays Spencer Dutton, and Julia Schlaepfer plays Alexandra. Jacob is the great-great-uncle of John Dutton III. Spencer is John's grandfather, which ties the 1923 story directly to Costner's character.

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• 6. Current Spinoffs

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  In March 2025, a procedural spinoff for CBS was confirmed to be in active development, with Luke Grimes set to reprise Kayce Dutton. In May 2025, it was ordered to series under the working title Y: Marshals. Spencer Hudnut serves as showrunner, and the premiere was set for the 1st of March 2026 as part of the CBS midseason lineup.

  In August 2025, Logan Marshall-Green joined the cast in a lead role. Gil Birmingham, Moses Brings Plenty and Brecken Merrill were confirmed to return as Thomas Rainwater, Mo and Tate Dutton. Arielle Kebbel, Ash Santos, Tatanka Means and Brett Cullen round out the main cast. Filming began in late 2025 in Summit County, Utah. In January 2026, the title became simply Marshals.

  In August 2024, a different spinoff called The Dutton Ranch was confirmed in development, in place of a sixth season of Yellowstone. Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser were set to reprise Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler. In July 2025, Finn Little was confirmed to return as Carter. Chad Feehan is the showrunner.

  Production began in August 2025 in Ferris, Texas. In March 2026, the series was retitled Dutton Ranch, and its first season was set at nine episodes. It premiered on the 15th of May 2026.

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• 7. Detours And Plans

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  In May 2022, a spinoff called 1883: The Bass Reeves Story was ordered to series. It was later retitled Lawmen: Bass Reeves and confirmed to be no longer directly related to 1883. It is instead described as set in the greater Duttonverse.

  In May 2023, after Costner's planned departure, a sequel series with the working title 2024 was announced. By August 2024 it had been tentatively retitled The Madison, with Michelle Pfeiffer set to star, and production of the first season began that month. The Madison premiered on the 14th of March 2026 and was renewed for a second season ahead of that premiere. In February 2026, it was announced that The Madison would be a stand-alone series, no longer set in the Yellowstone universe.

  Sheridan's other shows are Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, Lioness and Landman. Those series, together with the Yellowstone franchise, are frequently referred to as the "Sheridan-verse".

  Two more projects remain unfinished. In February 2021, a spinoff titled 6666 was announced for Paramount Network. It would be set in the present day on the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas. In February 2023, a prequel called 1944 was reportedly in development, as a sequel to 1923 filmed in the Bitterroot Valley. In February 2026, it was confirmed to still be in active development, with Paramount aiming for a late-2026 release.

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• 8. Critics And Viewers

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  Metacritic gave the first season of Yellowstone a score of 54 out of 100, based on 27 critics, which it labels "mixed or average reviews". On Rotten Tomatoes, that season holds a 56% approval rating and an average of 5.8/10 across 52 reviews. The site's consensus read, "Yellowstone proves too melodramatic to be taken seriously, diminishing the effects of the talented cast and beautiful backdrops."

  Later seasons fared better. The second season holds 89% from 9 reviews, and the third holds 100% from 7 critics. The fourth holds 91% from 11 critics, and its consensus called the show a "predictably unpredictable oat opera". The fifth season earned 84% from 38 reviews.

  Viewership climbed alongside the reviews. The season 3 premiere drew 7.6 million viewers, and the season 4 premiere reached 12.7 million. The season 5 premiere drew 12.1 million. Some have called the show a "Heartland drama" and a "red state" drama, a label Sheridan himself disputes.

  The prequels met a warmer reception. On Rotten Tomatoes, 1883 holds 89% from 27 reviews, with an average of 7.5/10. Metacritic gave it 69 out of 100 from 12 critics. In Variety, Daniel D'Addario called it "stark and unsparing". Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter called it "grim, lyrical, and violent" while noting its slow pacing. HistoryNet praised its attention to historical detail.

  The prequel 1923 holds 88% on Rotten Tomatoes from 41 reviews, with an average of 7.0/10. Metacritic gave it 67 out of 100 from 15 critics. According to Paramount, its first episode drew 7.4 million viewers across linear and streaming, the biggest debut in Paramount+ history.

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