Taylor Sheridan’sYellowstoneand its spinoffs have perfected the concept of a shared TV universe, and it’s worth investigating how he managed to overcome many of the problems other shared universes often run into.Yellowstoneand its two spinoff shows,1883and1923, have been wildly popular. They’ve catapulted Taylor Sheridan from a renowned screenwriter to a symbol of the Western genre as a whole, andYellowstoneis showing no signs of slowing down since theending of1923. TV shows with large shared universes usually struggle to find massive audiences, though, and Sheridan’s success is almost unprecedented.
In fact, Taylor Sheridan has perfected the shared TV universe.Yellowstoneand its spinoffs are not just the most popular, but likely also the best example of an interconnected franchise. It’s easy to attribute it all to Sheridan’s quality writing - the lowest-scoredYellowstoneshow is actuallyYellowstone, with 83% onRotten Tomatoes- but it’s not just that he writes good shows. Sheridan has managed to avoid every pitfall most shared TV universes fall prey to, and the quality of his writing has stayed consistent throughout eight seasons of television. TheYellowstonefranchise’s success is certainly worth looking at more closely.
Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Shows Don’t Rely On Crossovers
Yellowstone, 1883, & 1923 Can All Be Watched Independently Or Skipped
Perhaps the biggest advantage theYellowstoneshared universe has over its contemporaries is its independence.Yellowstone,1883, and1923are all distinct, standalone shows that don’t have crossovers to connect to one another. In fact, there often can’t be crossovers between shows, because they’re all set in distinct time periods, decades apart, with completely isolated problems. That lack of crossovers means that theYellowstoneuniverse doesn’t have any “required” viewing order. If you lovedYellowstonebut hated1883, there’s no reason to continue watching it becauseYellowstonewould still work even without the prequel.
Take, for example, the One Chicago universe. Viewers who are only interested inChicago Firemay be disappointed to learn that they need to also watchChicago P.D.,Chicago Justice, andChicago Medto fully understand who all the characters are and how they relate to one another.Yellowstonedoesn’t have this problem.Aside from references to long-dead ancestors and Elsa Dutton’s narration, a viewer who only watches, say,1923, can enjoy it as a standalone, self-contained show without being confused.1883and1923are completely additional toYellowstone, and none of them require watching anything else.
Yellowstone’s Spinoffs Add To The History Of The Family
1883 & 1923 Gave The Dutton Family & Their Fight For The Yellowstone More Weight
Yellowstonehas avoided unnecessary crossovers that make it more difficult to watch each show, but Sheridan has also been very smart about the types of stories he’s telling in each spinoff.1883and1923have enhanced the history of the Dutton family and their fight for the Yellowstone ranch. While you don’t need to know how James Dutton actually got the ranch in the first place in1883, that added knowledge and context can makeYellowstonebetter. The prequels have turnedYellowstonefrom a story about a single moment in time into the latest chapter in a century-long and generation-spanning saga.
The best way to illustrate how1883and1923have enhancedYellowstonewithout taking away its status as a standalone show is through John Dutton III. WatchingYellowstone, you get the sense that the Duttons have had this ranch for generations and that John III is fighting desperately for his legacy and his family’s future.After watching1883and1923, however, you realize just how much tragedy, blood, sweat, hopes, and dreams have gone into the Yellowstone, which makes the fact that the ranch is slipping through John III’s fingers inYellowstoneeven weightier.
The prequels have added a huge amount of texture and history to Yellowstone, yet it’s all still optional viewing.
You would still understand why John III wants to keep his land without watching the prequels, but the earlier chapters of Dutton history make his fight even more meaningful.After watching1883and1923, John III goes from an empathetic but stubborn man to a person who is desperately holding onto a history that you care about. He isn’t fighting for some unseen, long-dead ancestors, he’s fighting for the same land Jacob, Jack, and Spencer fought for in1923. The prequels have added a huge amount of texture and history toYellowstone, yet it’s all still optional viewing.
Taylor Sheridan’s Vision Is Continued Across All Yellowstone Shows
Sheridan Created & Led All 3 Yellowstone Shows, So All 3 Share A Cohesive Creative Voice
Adding to the history and context ofYellowstonewhile making sure that1883and1923don’t become a chore to view in order to watch the original show is a difficult balancing act. A major reason Taylor Sheridan was able to pull it off is because he’s had a consistent creative vision across everyYellowstoneshow.Sheridan himself created and wroteYellowstone,1883, and1923, whereas other shared universes are forced to split control among many different creators with (sometimes) conflicting creative voices.
Sheridan’s ability to make theYellowstoneuniverse cohesive is best highlighted by comparing it to the MCU. For Marvel, each new movie or show has a new vision as new directors, writers, and producers are brought in. That means the MCU, as a whole, can be more diverse and tell different kinds of stories, but it comes at the cost of not having a single, unifying message.Each installment in theYellowstonefranchise, however, shares similarities with all the rest: they’re largely about the importance of family, legacy, and the fight to protect what you love.
Because Sheridan has had his hand at the proverbial rudder for the entire duration of Yellowstone, each show feels like a chapter of a larger story, rather than a loosely connected tale happening at the same time.
Taylor Sheridan never had to share his creative vision forYellowstonewith anyone else, which let him do a few interesting things. For one,Sheridan’s creative voice is extremely clear acrossYellowstone,1883, and1923. There are very few distractions from the power plays and the search for an enduring legacy that theYellowstonesaga focuses on. Because Sheridan has had his hand at the proverbial rudder for the entire duration ofYellowstone, each show feels like a chapter of a larger story, rather than a loosely connected tale happening at the same time.
What’s Next For Taylor Sheridan’s Shared Yellowstone Universe?
Sheridan Has A Host Of Yellowstone Spinoff Shows In The Works
Taylor Sheridan’s ability to crack the shared TV universe code has resulted in his shows becoming hugely popular. As such, many viewers are likely wondering what’s next forYellowstone. Luckily,Sheridan has a huge array ofupcomingYellowstonespinoffsin the works. There’s the aptly-named1944, which is poised to follow a new generation of Duttons, as well asThe Madison, which will follow a new dynasty aside from the Duttons. There’s also6666, which will follow Jimmy, and a currently untitledspinoff focusing on Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler.
Taylor Sheridan’s Upcoming and Potential Series and Movies
6666 Yellowstone spinoff
Mayor of Kingstown season 4
Tulsa King season 3
Landman season 2
1944 Yellowstone spinoff
Lioness season 3
Rumored
There are already plenty of newYellowstoneshows on the horizon, but there’s really no telling how many more could come. Now that Sheridan has proven he’s got the winning formula for a vast and sprawling shared TV universe, we don’t really know where the limit is. As long as viewers want to keep watching Western TV shows, Sheridan could continue makingYellowstonespinoffs for decades. He’s shown no signs of slowing down, and Paramount seems more than happy to continue funding and profiting off his creations. Sheridan truly has a winning formula with theYellowstonefranchise.
Yellowstone
Cast
Yellowstone follows the Dutton family, led by patriarch John Dutton, as they defend their expansive ranch against external threats from land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park. Released on August 08, 2025, this series examines the complex dynamics and violent conflicts surrounding the largest contiguous ranch in the United States.
1883
1883 is a Western drama series set at the beginning of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone franchise and explores the origins of the Duttons and how Yellowstone came to be. The show chronicles a generation of the Dutton family as they embark on a difficult journey to the western frontier to establish a new legacy.
1923
1923 is a series following the Dutton family during the early twentieth century. It explores the challenges they face amidst pandemics, the end of Prohibition, historic drought, and the Great Depression, as they struggle to maintain their home in the mountain west.
