TV-MOVIES
James And John Dutton's Relationship In Y: 1883 Explained
By JASON CONNOLLY
AND BRANDON ROWE
“1883” the Paramount+ prequel series to "Yellowstone," sees James Dutton (Tim McGraw) fully embrace the lawlessness of the Old West. This is something his descendant, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), emulates in his own story, but what is their relationship, exactly?
The characters are only removed from each other by a mere three generations, but it remains unclear exactly when James Dutton died and when John’s father (Dabney Coleman) was born. As a result, it remains a possibility that his father might have actually met the grizzled old cowboy featured in "1883."
In "1883,” James helps his son shoot his first deer and smears the blood on his son’s cheeks, which is a callback to a scene in "Yellowstone,” where John does the very same thing for his grandson. As additional parallels emerge, fans will get to see just how much the lives of the Dutton family are ultimately changed by James' fateful journey into the Wild West.