Yellowstone Universe explained: Taylor Sheridan shows in order

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Yellowstone Universe: Taylor Sheridan shows in chronological order

Yellowstone Universe: Upcoming spin-offs by Sheridan

Yellowstone Universe: Adjacent series

Yellowstone Universe at a glance

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Did you know Yellowstone is part of a larger universe of TV shows all created by a single showrunner named Taylor Sheridan?

Yellowstone is a hit western drama series starring Kevin Costner as John Dutton, the patriarch of a family that owns the largest contiguous ranch in the US. Yellowstone mixes family drama with crime thriller elements and currently has five seasons under its belt and numerous awards to its name. To capitalize on the show's success, Sheridan created multiple spin-off series and other shows that are connected or could be connected to Yellowstone in the future. If you love Yellowstone, or simply looking to get started, our comprehensive guide has everything you need to know.

We've listed the chronological order of all Yellowstone Universe TV series released so far, along with information on the upcoming spin-offs and other shows created by Sheridan.

Yellowstone Universe: Taylor Sheridan shows in chronological order

To fully understand Yellowstone Universe, check out our guide to all the TV shows in chronological order.

1883 (2021)

Watch 1883 Season 1 | Prime Video

Read: 1883, the Yellowstone prequel series: Everything to know 1883 is the first spin-off series from Taylor Sheridan's popular show, Yellowstone.

Set in the year 1883, the series follows the journey of Civil War veteran James Dutton, played by Tim McGraw, and his family as they travel west to start a new homestead. Along the way, James is hired by a Pinkerton employee, Shea Brennan, to help lead another group of immigrants westward. James is joined by his wife Margaret (played by Faith Hill), daughter Elsa (Isabel May), and son John (Auten Rick). Although 1883 is not slated to get a second season, you can look forward to another spin-off, 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, but more on that later.

The series premiered on Paramount Plus in 2021.

1923 (2022)

Watch 1923 Season 1 | Prime Video

Read: 1923, the second Yellowstone prequel: Everything you need to know

1923 picks up with the Dutton Family 40 years after 1883, as Jacob Dutton (played by Harrison Ford) and his wife Cara, played by Helen Mirren, are guiding their family and ranch through the end of prohibition and the early stages of the great depression. In 1923, the Yellowstone ranch doesn’t exist yet, but Jacob Dutton owns a small piece of what will one day become Yellowstone or the Dutton ranch. Jacob took over the ranch following the death of his brother, James, in 1883. Jacob and Cara also raise James’ two sons, John, who also appeared in 1883, and Spencer.

The series was created by Sheridan and premiered on Paramount Plus in 2022.

Yellowstone (2018)

Watch Yellowstone Season 1 | Prime Video

Read: How to watch Yellowstone Season 5: Trailers, cast and more

Debuting in 2018 on the Paramount Network, Yellowstone is the series that started it all. Set around Kevin Costner’s John Dutton and the many problems that seem to follow his family and the ranch they own, Yellowstone has become one of the most popular shows in the US. That’s all thanks to the Dutton's ability to always be fighting someone - whether that be a rotating cast of sadistic villain real estate developers or the Broken Rock Indian Reservation led by Gil Birmingham’s Thomas Rainwater. Someone is usually trying to get a piece of the land Yellowstone sits on.

If it’s not that, someone has accidentally killed an endangered species,, or let us not forget when Casey Dutton (Luke Grimes) discovered dinosaur fossils in his yard only to have them stolen. Of course, between the gun battles and political machinations, there’s also plenty of cowboying in Yellowstone, with Cole Hauser’s Rip Wheeler becoming a cowboy fashion sensation as the ranch foreman for the Yellowstone. Yellowstone is currently wrapping up its fifth season, and with the success that the show has had so far, you can rest assured there’ll be a sixth season.

Yellowstone Universe: Upcoming spin-offs by Sheridan

6666

Yellowstone viewers will recognize the 6666 (pronounced four-sixes) as the cattle ranch that Jimmy (Jefferson White) is sent to in season four of the show. What you might not know is that the 6666 is a historic real-life ranch that has existed in Texas since 1873. Also fascinating is that Sheridan now owns the 6666. Paramount+ first announced a show centered around the ranch back in February 2021. Since then Yellowstone regular Jimmy spent a good chunk of season four at 6666 before moving there full time, seemingly setting him up for a prominent role in the new spin-off.

He and his girlfriend Emily, played by Kathryn Kelly, are also slated to return for season five of Yellowstone, but that could serve to further set up the spin-off series. 6666 was originally expected to premiere on Paramount Plus in 2023, but given we’ve heard so little in terms of an update, it might be safe to not expect the show until the very end of this year (if not 2024).

1883: The Bass Reeves Story

Originally announced back in 2021 as The Bass Reeves Story and since retitled as 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, it's set to make 1883 the first Yellowstone spin-off to get its own spin-off.

The show will be a six-episode miniseries that follows the titular Bass Reeves. Reeves was born a slave in 1930's Arkansas before becoming the first black US Marshal to serve west of the Mississippi. In 32 years as a US Marshal, Reeves made over 3,000 arrests, including bringing his own son to justice for murder. He’s even been rumoured to be the inspiration for The Lone Ranger.

David Oyelowo will portray Reeves in the upcoming series, which is, of course, set to be produced by Sheridan, who’ll own all the ranches in the US by the time Paramount stops paying him to make TV shows. Dennis Quaid is the only other actor cast in the series so far as Deputy US Marshal Sherrill Lynn. We would expect to see some familiar faces from 1883 make appearances now that this is officially a spin-off of that series. Billy Bob Thorton’s Marshal Jim Courtright, who appeared in one episode of 1883, is the most obvious character we could see popping up in The Bass Reeves story.

Yellowstone Universe: Adjacent series

Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, and Land Man

None of these series - Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, and Land Man - are currently directly tied to Yellowstone, although they’re all created by Taylor Sheridan for Paramount. Obviously, each has some similar themes to other shows in Yellowstone Universe, albeit with far fewer horses. So, if you’re into Yellowstone and its many spin-offs, there’s probably something here for you.

We’re including these shows in this list because it wouldn’t shock us if any one of these shows eventually directly tie into Yellowstone Universe. For example, Cole Hauser’s Rip could easily pop up in Tulsa King and chop it up with Sylvester Stallone’s Dwight "The General" Manfredi for an episode in between treks from the 6666 and Yellowstone. Admittedly, it’s weirder imagining a Yellowstone cowboy on the Jeremy Renner-led Mayor of Kingstown, but it doesn’t even necessarily need to be as complicated as bringing in the actors from Yellowstone.

Paramount is rapidly expanding Yellowstone Universe. It could easily add in shows like these if it wanted too, by a simple line acknowledging that crazy ranch owned by Montana’s governor that’s always in the news for gun battles and outsmarting billion-dollar investment firms. Tulsa King and Mayor of Kingstown are both available to stream on Paramount+.

Land Man is set to premiere in 2024. It stars Billy Bob Thorton as a crisis manager for an oil company and is based on the podcast Boomtown.