When Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone series premiered back in 2018, it was highly regarded for bringing a specific kind of contemporary

Western to television. Little did audiences know that it would also be the start of a “Taylor Sheridan Universe” of shows on Paramount+.

While each Sheridan series is great in its own way, the greatest of them are Yellowstone and its spin-offs. For a writer who thrives in the Western genre, telling stories in the conventional Western design was always going to be a must for Taylor Sheridan. He took it a step further.

With the ability to finally play in a quintessential Western arena, it made sense to connect each spin-off’s storyline to his already mega-popular Western family, The Duttons. The first spin-off/prequel, 1883, was released in 2021 and followed the first generation of Duttons as they made the move westward. Sheridan had planned to continue this series but was told by executives that it would not last beyond one season. They changed their tune well after Sheridan had already killed all the characters. His reaction to this was the 1922 sequel/prequel/spin-off 1923, which followed the next generation of Duttons in prohibition-era Montana. Each series is great for different reasons, but all have undeniable connections to one another that only die-hard fans recall.

10.The Duality of a Dutton Is a Consistent Theme

Appears In: Yellowstone, 1883, 1923

In all three Yellowstone shows there is a consistent theme of the Duttons that defines them. For the sake of having more control over their situations, the Duttons, in many cases, are equal parts elected officials for the law and unpredictable criminals lawlessly doing whatever is necessary to protect what’s theirs. Playing both sides of the law has allowed the Dutton Ranch to withstand threats on both sides of that line more effectively. Working on both sides has also meant multiple moments of characters wrestling with their own morality, as their intentions are always good, but circumstances often force tough decisions.