Yellowstone has made a huge impression on viewers ever since it debuted on Paramount back in 2018, and there have been calls for spinoffs over the three seasons that have aired so far. Now, fans are in for some very good news: a Yellowstone spinoff is finally coming to TV, and that's not the only thing on the way from Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan worth getting excited about. Here's what's coming.
The Yellowstone spinoff will follow the Dutton family, but will not center on John, Beth, Kayce, or any of the other Duttons that viewers have watched over the first three seasons of the original series on Paramount. The spinoff, called Y: 1883, will be a prequel that tells the origin story of the Duttons, following the family as they begin their journey west. They travel through the Great Plains toward what little remains of untamed America: Montana.
Y: 1883 will be a retelling of Western expansion, serving as a study of a family fleeing their life of poverty with the goal of finding a better future in the promised land of America's West. Take a look at the teaser trailer:
The teaser that will air during Super Bowl 2021 on Sunday, February 7 doesn't reveal a whole lot about what to expect from the spinoff other than that there will probably be a lot of snow, but the voiceover is more than a little ominous. The person speaking says that "I don't care if you live or die," but wants whoever he's speaking to to "tell them about me" if they live.
Y: 1883 as a Yellowstone origin story should be enough to get a lot of fans excited, and the teaser confirms that Paramount isn't going to leave prospective viewers hanging for years on end. Y: 1883 will premiere streaming at some point in 2021. The series is being produced for new streaming service Paramount+, which also released a 90-second Super Bowl ad hyping what's on the way when it launches in March.
Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan commented on the upcoming prequel, saying of collaborating with MTV Entertainment President Chris McCarthy and others :
I am excited to continue the story of Yellowstone and thank you to Chris, Keith and David for allowing me to keep on expanding the family for the fans.
While Y: 1883 is currently the only confirmed Yellowstone spinoff, Taylor Sheridan will be in a position to either continue expanding that world or deliver exclusively new content to the small screen. The Yellowstone co-creator has signed an exclusive blockbuster deal with ViacomCBS and MTV Entertainment that will include multiple series. The deal will involve multi-platform content with five cycles each year of scripted and procedural series. It's a hefty deal, but not altogether surprising.
Season 3 of Yellowstone delivered the most-watched premiere on cable TV in two years with record-breaking numbers in Live+3 day calculations, with a total of 6.5 million. If the spinoff prequel reaches anywhere near the same kind of audience, it could be a very big deal for Paramount+. Y: 1883 will be executive produced by Taylor Sheridan, his Yellowstone co-creator John Linson, and Yellowstone executive producer David Glasser, among others.
With Yellowstone Season 4 and now Y: 1883 expected to premiere in 2021, the future is bright for Yellowstone fans, even in light of the Season 3 finale cliffhangers that may have reduced the number of living Duttons.
