A Guide to Every ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel and Spinoff Series, Including ‘1883’, ”1923”, ‘6666’

Stay saddled up, Yellowstone fans!

On May 5, Paramount announced that the beloved neo-Western series starring Kevin Costner is coming to an end after its fifth season — however, its corresponding streamer shared exciting details regarding the Dutton family’s future.

Yellowstone

Although an official title of the spinoff has yet to be announced, it’s been revealed that it will have Yellowstone in its name. The untitled series is slated to debut on Paramount Network and Paramount+ in December (unlike the original Yellowstone series, which is available to stream exclusively on Peacock).

Its cast is unconfirmed, but rumors have swirled that the network was in conversation with Matthew McConaughey for a potential Dutton-centric spinoff. ViacomCBS President Chris McCarthy addressed the speculation in April, telling The Hollywood Reporter they’re moving forward with the McConaughey-led series.

However, it remains unclear whether McConaughey will be in the newly-announced series with Yellowstone in its title or star in a completely different spinoff of his own.

While fans patiently await further details, read on to learn about every Yellowstone prequel and sequel that are to come, in addition to the ones that’ve already been released.

1883

Telling the origin story of the Dutton family featured on Yellowstone, 1883 follows their 19th-century ancestors James and Margaret Dutton as they embark on their wild journey west from Texas to Montana through the Great Plains. Lawless lands, bloody gunfights, danger, and dust (lots of it) are promised in each of its nine (and counting) episodes.

A star-studded cast was corralled with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as leads. They are joined by multi-award winners Sam Elliot and Eric Nelsen, in addition to Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett, Audie Rick, Emma Malouff, Dawn Olivieri, Marc Rissmann, Anna Fiamora, James Landry Hébert, Alex Fine, Gratiela Brancusi, Nichole Galicia, Stephanie Nur, Amanda Jaros, Noah Le Gros, and Martin Sensmeier.

Keep a close eye out in the second episode because Tom Hanks makes a cameo, playing a general named George Meade in a flashback sequence. 1883 consisted of ten episodes and concluded on Feb. 27, 2022.

The first two episodes premiered in December 2021 on the Paramount Network, but the rest of the series was exclusive to its streamer, Paramount+ (unlike the entirety of Yellowstone which aired on Paramount).

But now, the full season of 1883 will air on Paramount Network beginning June 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The special broadcast will include extended featurettes at the end of each episode.

When ViacomCBS’ chief programming officer teased more episodes following its finale, fans speculated whether that meant an extension of season one or if a season 2 was underway. Turns out, neither!

Instead, the Yellowstone spinoff will be getting an offshoot of its own, titled Lawmen: Bass Reeves. (Still, however, there’s been no explicit mention that 1883 has been confirmed for a season 2.)

Lawmen: Bass Reeves

1883 will merge with Sheridan’s previously announced limited series, Bass Reeves, to form another spinoff, titled Lawmen: Bass Reeves. (It was originally called 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, but received a title change in April.)

The upcoming show is described as an anthology series with future installments to follow other iconic lawmen who have impacted history in subsequent seasons, according to Variety.

The logline for the Bass Reeves season states it will “bring the legendary lawman of the wild west to life. Reeves, known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, worked in the post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded.”

It will star two-time Emmy nominee David Oyelowo in the title role of Bass Reeves. The actor previously voiced his excitement to be a part of the series and work alongside Sheridan in an interview with Deadline, saying, “The reality is that he is one of the best storytellers on the planet.”

He added, “My whole thing is that we’ve got to tell a story worthy of that history, but worthy of a global audience and he’s one of those rare guys, and I’ve worked with a few of them, and he’s one of those rare ones who can really do that. It’s a big deal.”

Oyelowo will be joined by actor Denn is Quaid, who plays Deputy U.S. Marshall Sherrill Lynn in the upcoming spinoff, which is currently in production in his home state.

“Riding horses, shooting guns. You know, making mayhem at 4 in the morning,” Quaid joked while speaking with Fox News Digital about joining the Yellowstone universe.

No release date has been set for 1883: The Bass Reeves Story.

1923

Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford star in 1923 (originally titled 1932) which premiered on Dec. 8, 2022, on Paramount Network and its streamer in a special simulcast event. They play husband and wife, matriarch Cara Dutton and patriarch Jacob Dutton, respectively.

The series chronologically follows the events that unfolded in 1883 (hence its title) — which saw the Duttons make their dangerous trek to Montana. It follows the couple, along with their children, as they run the family farm in the aforementioned state while navigating the challenges of the early 20th century, which include pandemics, a historic drought, the end of Prohibition and the Great Depression.

The teaser — which dropped during the season 5 premiere of Yellowstone in November 2022 — gave a glimpse into the chaos of the time, showing multiple battles both on the ground and on horseback. The central characters get in on the action, with a shot of Mirren’s Cara, injured and pointing a rifle at someone, and Ford’s Jacob looking desperately to the side as he points a gun off camera.

Ford told reporters in December that the formation of the project is what ultimately got him hooked on the role. “The writing and the ambition of the piece that’s evident from the scope and scale of it, [drew me to the role,]” he explained. “And the precision of his language and dialogue, and the character.”

The series, which also stars Marley Shelton, Jennifer Ehle, Sebastian Roché and Darren Mann, was confirmed for a second season, which will include eight episodes, Deadline reported. 1923 is available to stream exclusively on Paramount+.

6666

Pronounced “Four Sixes,” 6666 details the raw and authentic perspective of a real cattle ranch — this time in West Texas, rather than Montana like depicted in Yellowstone.

“The Sixes is one of the oldest ranches in Texas, one of the oldest ranches in the country… One of the oldest functioning cattle ranches, horse training, breeding facilities in the country,” White told Entertainment Tonight. “I’m really excited for people to see the real, gritty, not glamorous world of real-life cattle ranching, now in modern times.”

A 6666 premiere date remains up in the air, in addition to whether or not the series will be exclusive to Paramount’s streaming service. The cast has also yet to be revealed.

A Matthew McConaughey-led spinoff

Matthew McConaughey was reportedly in talks to star in a Yellowstone spinoff in February as Costner was considering exiting the show to focus on directing and starring in the upcoming Western film Horizon, according to Deadline.

At the time, ViacomCBS President Chris McCarthy left details in the air regarding the McConaughey rumors. However, a spokesperson for Paramount said “Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner.”

As of March 28, President McCarthy confirmed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that the rumored McConaughey-led spinoff of the popular Paramount+ series is moving forward — whether or not star Costner returns to Yellowstone.

While McCarthy couldn’t share any new details about the upcoming projects, he did tell THR that the franchise “wouldn’t be what it is today without Kevin and we hope that that stays for a long time to come.”

On May 5, Paramount announced that its streamer has ordered another sequel in the Taylor Sheridan-created franchise; however, it didn’t specify whether it would be the one with McConaughey as its lead.

Though untitled, the upcoming spinoff is said to have Yellowstone in its name. It is slated to air on Paramount+, making it the first series in the franchise with Yellowstone in its name to be released on Paramount’s streamer.