Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western Yellowstone helped bring the Western genre into the 21st century, and as a result recaptured the attention and imagination of a modern audience hungry for the drama, intrigue, and serenity of the West. Anchored by Western staple Kevin Costner and a talented supporting cast, Yellowstone evolved into one of Paramount’s most successful shows ever, and spawned an expanded universe of spin-offs and prequels. The prequels looking back at the extended history of the Dutton family and their rise to prominence in Montana furthered the reputation of both the franchise and Taylor Sheridan for quality story-telling.
After Yellowstone concluded prematurely following Kevin Costner’s unexpected exit, the focus of both Taylor Sheridan and the neo-Western audience shifted to the future of the franchise. As big a star as Kevin Costner is, Yellowstone also made household names out of the rest of its primary cast, and the future of the franchise now centers around John Dutton’s surviving children. While Dutton Ranch continues the story of Beth Dutton and her husband, Rip Wheeler, and Marshals follows Kayce Dutton’s new career in law enforcement, there are other Yellowstone projects still in development.
Why You Should Trust Me: From the neo-Westerns of Taylor Sheridan to the greatest performances of the Duke, I’ve spent 30 years enamored with the Western genre. I’ve become especially familiar with Sheridan’s ‘Yellowstone’, along with its ever-expanding network of spin-offs, since they helped revitalize and evolve the Western genre within television. As an expert in the connected lore of the universe after numerous rewatches of all of Sheridan’s shows, I know all the trivia, connections, and have a clear picture of where the franchise is headed.
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‘Dutton Ranch’ Season 2 (Confirmed)
The sequel series to ‘Yellowstone’ had a highly successful first season.
Dutton Ranch has widely been accepted as the Yellowstone season 6 that never was, as it beautifully captures the tone and drama of the flagship show in addition to picking up some of the story threads that were cut short due to Kevin Costner’s untimely exit. The series follows Beth Dutton, Rip Wheeler, and their adopted son Carter after a devastating fire forces them to move to Texas and start life anew. They soon find themselves neck-deep in the dark secrets of the Ten Petal Ranch, a legacy cattle operation that has survived due through unscrupulous and dastardly means.
Dutton Ranch is another bona fide streaming juggernaut for Paramount, and a second season has already been confirmed and is actively in development. With excellent ratings and a stellar cast that includes the returning Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser alongside franchise newcomers Annette Bening and Ed Harris, Dutton Ranch‘s long-term future is bright. The second season will go forward without the show’s original creator and executive producer Chad Feehan, who has been replaced by Benjamin Cavell. Cavell’s resume, which includes hits like Justified, The Stand, and Homeland, has fans optimistic there won’t be any drop-off in quality despite the showrunner’s exit.
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‘Marshals’ Season 2 (Confirmed for Fall 2026)
Critics didn’t love ‘Marshals’, but audiences certainly did.
Marshals represented a bit of a shift in genre for the Yellowstone franchise, as the show starring Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton is more of a police procedural than a neo-Western drama. The show follows Kayce as he joins a team of U.S. Marshals working to protect Montana from all manner of crime, with plenty of high-octane action in addition to the typical police show notes that one would expect from a CBS/Paramount show. The show includes a few cast cross-overs from Yellowstone in addition to Grimes, but aside from that, one could be forgiven for not recognizing it as a Yellowstone franchise show given the drastic difference in tone.
While the show’s reviews are far more mixed than Dutton Ranch or Yellowstone, the streaming numbers and audience reception indicate it’s just as big a hit as either show. While capturing a cumulative audience of well over 26 million by the end of its run, Marshals was quickly renewed for a second season. The turnaround time has been far quicker than many prestige dramas given the more simplified, procedural nature of the show and no Costner-level schedules to work around, and Marshals season 2 is expected to release in fall 2026. Although a precise date hasn’t been announced, we’ve already gotten a teaser trailer for season 2.
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‘1944’ (Confirmed)
The ‘Yellowstone’ prequel series will pick up years after the events of ‘1923’.
The Yellowstone franchise isn’t done exploring the history of the Duttons just yet, as there is at least one more prequel series in the works. 1944 is expected to focus on a new generation of Duttons, although with the events coming just two decades after the events of its predecessor, 1923, it does seem plausible that Spencer Dutton, played by Brandon Sklenar, could return even if the role is recast. The show also takes place just 15 years before the birth of John Dutton in the Yellowstone timeline, so this presumably would be the last prequel series that makes sense, barring something like a spinoff following the history of the Broken Rock Reservation that is closely tied to the Duttons.
While there are virtually no plot details confirmed, it stands to reason that World War II will play a major role in the story, and will likely focus on the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch’s survival through the home front trials of that time period. The most likely central character figures to be John Dutton II, Spencer Dutton’s son born at the very end of 1923‘s second season, and John Dutton’s father. His experience during the war, along with Spencer’s struggle to keep the ranch, provide plenty of intriguing material for the prequel series to work with.
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‘6666’ (In Development But On Hold)
This spin-off focused on Jimmy Hurdstram has been fleshed out, but is technically unconfirmed.
6666 was one of the first spinoffs of the Yellowstone franchise that was announced, although it’s been years since there have been any meaningful updates, and as of now the series remains on hold despite reportedly being in development. The show would have followed Jimmy Hurdstram, the former ne’er-do-well that Rip and the Four Sixes Ranch in West Texas turned into a hardened ranch hand, as he continued to work and live on the legendary (and real) Texas ranch alongside his wife Emily. When it was first announced, the show was intended to mark a shift away from the Montana-based flagship show.
However, with Dutton Ranch taking place in Texas, there would be a level of repetitiveness if 6666 were to begin in the next year or two. The West Texas setting would be different enough from the border-adjacent fictional town of Rio Paloma, but with Beth and Rip in a desperate position, it would invite questions and crossovers that the creators of either show may not want to deal with. As of now, there is no indication that 6666 will be produced any time soon, but the fact that it hasn’t been declared dead also speaks to the interest that still exists. Taylor Sheridan’s personal stake in the real Four-Sixes Ranch likely provides an above-average level of interest and inspiration, despite his pending departure from Paramount.
- Release Date
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2018 – 2024
- Network
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Paramount Network
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
