Where Does 1883 Fit Into The Yellowstone Timeline?
One of the most engaging aspects of Paramount Network's hit drama series "Yellowstone" is the way it manages to evoke classic elements of the western, despite being set in the modern-day. The series follows the fictional Dutton family as they fight to hold onto the titular Yellowstone ranch, with enemies on every side trying to take control of their land.
It's a premise that would be right at home in a classical western, and the connections to that storied genre don't stop there. The powerful performance of Kevin Costner as John Dutton (patriarch of the Dutton family and the leader of Yellowstone ranch) evokes the old cowboy trope of a "man-out-of-time," struggling to let go of the frontier as the world continues to evolve around him.
All told, it's a fantastic reimagining of the western in a contemporary setting, and it seems clear that the showrunners understand how important that connection is. "Yellowstone" just got its first spin-off in the form of the recently released prequel series "Y: 1883," which brings the story back to its roots in the old west.
1883 brings Yellowstone back to the Wild West
"1883" takes audiences back to the start of the Dutton dynasty as we know it. The series follows the first generation of Duttons to come west and tells the story of how they first came to own the Yellowstone ranch.
The series takes place around 125 years before "Yellowstone," and revolves around the bloody history of the Dutton family as they take on the Wild West in all its lawless glory. We follow the Duttons from the Great Plains into Montana to stake their claim for what would go on to be the latest ranch in Big Sky Country (via Esquire). On top of their battle for the ranch, the series promises to explain exactly who the Duttons were before they fled to the west in search of fortune.
"1883" presents the Duttons at the start of their journey to build an empire. The fact that the show is set so far in the past allows the spinoff to fully explore the classical Western setting that the franchise has so expertly adapted in "Yellowstone."
The first two episodes of "1883" are now available to stream on Paramount+.