Since the debut of Yellowstone in 2018, the series has grown into one of Paramount’s most valuable TV and streaming franchises. So much so that series co-creator Taylor Sheridan was given the freedom to create multiple Yellowstone prequel series for Paramount+. The first prequel, 1883, arrived in 2021, and it has proven to be popular with fans in its own right.
The series 1883 is set in the Old West long before the Dutton family established itself on the Yellowstone Ranch. Sam Elliott headlined the series as Shea Brennan, with Tim McGraw as James Dutton, the great-great-grandfather of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton from Yellowstone. The rest of the cast includes Faith Hill, Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett, Marc Rissmann, and Audie Rick.
Sheridan has been consistent with his answers about the future of 1883 since the show’s conclusion in 2022. But because the question keeps coming up, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about 1883 season 2.
Is 1883 getting a second season?
No. We’re sure that Paramount+ would love to run another season of 1883. Paramount+ was so bullish about the future of the show that it announced that new episodes were on the way in February 2022. However, Paramount+ walked back that statement less than a month later. Nothing has changed since then.
What did Taylor Sheridan say about the future of 1883?
Sheridan told Deadline that the story was complete with 1883 season 1, and he has no intention of continuing it.
“I created this peek through time to show you this one specific journey,” said Sheridan. “I’m not someone who likes to tie everything up in a bow and explain how everyone lived happily after, or didn’t. I’d rather you imagine it, and wonder what Thomas and Noemi made of their lives. You never get to see how James and Margaret move on. You did seem them in a flashback as having moved on, and so that’s what I cared to explore. On to the next peek through the window. I also wanted to create something you could watch and be completely enthralled and fulfilled, having never seen Yellowstone. Let it live on its own merits.”
“For me, as a storyteller it feels close-ended,” added Sheridan. “I’m going to peek through the window of a different era and see what I see then.”
Is Lawmen: Bass Reeves an 1883 spinoff?
As noted in this report from Deadline, Lawmen: Bass Reeves was originally going to be an 1883 spinoff called 1883: The Bass Reeves Story. However, Lawmen: Bass Reeves was eventually reconceived as its own franchise, although Sheridan produces both series. It is not an 1883 spinoff, and it doesn’t share continuity with the previous show.
Will there be a sequel to 1883?
Yes, and it already premiered in late 2022. Despite her character’s death in 1883, Isabel May reprised her role as Elsa Dutton, who narrates the sequel series, 1923. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren headline the show as Jacob and Cara Dutton. In the Dutton family tree, Jacob is the older brother of James Dutton, who was played by Tim McGraw in 1883.
Unlike 1883, there will be a second season of 1923. Production is expected to begin in 2024, but Paramount+ hasn’t set a date yet for 1923 season 2.
