Denim, drama and Duttons: A small talk guide to Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Yellowstone’ sprawling universe

If you haven’t watched Yellowstone … what are you doing, exactly? Love him or hate him, Taylor Sheridan has become a television powerhouse, executive producing nearly a dozen series in less than a decade since his flagship modern Western first premiered in 2018. The series exploded in popularity over its five-season run, becoming the watercooler series to unpack weekly. Viewers would tune in eager to find out how John Dutton (Kevin Costner) would once again preserve and protect the Yellowstone Ranch against exploitative outside interests, and how the rest of the Dutton family — daughter Beth and sons Jamie and Kayce — was navigating the next crisis.

Everyone I’ve met who watches Yellowstone extracts something different from it, whether it’s the sprawling Montana landscapes or the way it functions as a solid yet intense family drama. Maybe you most remember the explosive dinner table arguments that quickly became a staple of most Sheridan series, the hijinks between the tight-knit crew of cowboys on the ranch, or Beth (Kelly Reilly) going on one of her now iconic tirades before being brought back down to earth by Rip (Cole Hauser). There’s something for everyone.

A post-Yellowstone Sheridan television universe is more sprawling than you realize, between the myriad Dutton family spin-offs and prequels, to CIA agents and a petroleum landman. Here’s a guide on where to even start — and how you can catch up ahead of Dutton Ranch, the latest installment premiering May 15.

Wait, what happens at the end of ‘Yellowstone’ again?

It’s been nearly two years since Yellowstone wrapped, and that was after a midseason, yearlong hiatus as the show tried to rearrange itself after not only the Hollywood strikes but Costner’s decision to leave the series before it concluded. In fact, he was so over Yellowstone that he reportedly refused to return. Eventually, the series returned for its final batch of episodes, with John Dutton (Costner) seemingly having died by suicide — only for viewers to quickly find out it was a hit ordered by adopted son Jamie’s (Wes Bentley) lover, Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri), and staged as a suicide. When Beth (Kelly Reilly) gets wind of what actually happened to her father, she ends up stabbing Jamie to death as revenge in the explosive 90-minute series finale.

After that’s settled, the Yellowstone Ranch land is returned to the fictional Broken Rock Tribe rather than sold off to the highest bidder, fulfilling a 140-year-old prophecy foretold in the finale of 1883, the first Yellowstone prequel and origin story. As for what remains of the Dutton family: Beth and Rip move out to live in a new ranch 40 miles west of Dillon, Montana, and Kayce (Luke Grimes) begins a new life herding his own cattle with his son and wife.

It felt like the real closing of a chapter. But while Yellowstone Ranch is no longer a destination we are likely to return to onscreen, the Dutton story is just getting started …

So what is ‘Dutton Ranch’ about?

Dutton Ranch is Sheridan’s latest sequel series to Yellowstone, and it centers on Beth and Rip’s next act.

For new viewers who have yet to be swept up in the Beth and Rip obsession, allow me to catch you up: Their love story began as a teenage fling after Rip was taken under John’s wing and hired to work at the ranch. The tryst results in a young Beth getting pregnant and having an abortion that leaves her unable to have children (the beginning of her lifelong hatred for brother Jamie, who consented to the sterilization surgery on her behalf). It wasn’t until they were grown adults that love would flourish between them again, and they would both let their guards down for each other — thus becoming a Yellowstone fan favorite couple.

Dutton Ranch starts off with the couple living a peaceful, idyllic life in Montana with their adopted son, Carter (Finn Little). Sadly, the little life they establish after the events of Yellowstone’s finale gets quickly engulfed by a raging fire that destroys their property. Rather than start over again in Montana after the events of Yellowstone’s finale, they cut their losses and buy 5,000 acres in Rio Paloma, Texas when they hear about a ranch of Angus cows for sale. This latest iteration of Yellowstone is something of a reset for both the couple and the show as they move their little life down to Texas in the pursuit of some peace, at long last. Obviously, that only lasts so long — dead bodies, a rival ranch led by a matriarch played by Annette Bening and other problems start piling up at their new ranch’s doorstep. At least they meet a few new allies along the way, like a friendly local veterinarian played by Ed Harris.

The show launches May 15 with a two-episode premiere. New episodes will be released each Friday on Paramount+.

Watch “Dutton Ranch”

So what is Kayce up to while all of this is happening? 

Youngest Dutton brother Kayce doesn’t make an appearance in Dutton Ranch, at least for now, because he’s busy as a newly recruited U.S. Marshal. Grimes is the star of Marshals, his own series on CBS, which follows him and his son, Tate (Brecken Merrill), as he’s convinced into joining a small task force charged with laying down the law in Montana. He’s still living in the same ranch, a home he built with his wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), who is revealed to have died before the events of the series.

Although Dutton Ranch feels a bit more like Yellowstone in tone, Marshals includes more Easter eggs and brings on fan-favorite characters from the original series, like Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and his right-hand man, Mo (Mo Brings Plenty). The procedural, episodic structure is really the biggest difference here — Marshals feels more familiar to other network police procedurals, with plotlines resolving to tidy conclusions by the end of each episode. That can sometimes feel like Yellowstone’s edges have been sanded down, but it has maintained viewership and been renewed for a second season.

Do I need to rewatch ‘Yellowstone’ to remember the finer details of the series before I jump into ‘Dutton Ranch’?

I never advise against rewatching a show you loved the first time around. That said, it’s not necessary: Both Dutton Ranch and Marshals are fairly newcomer-friendly. You should be able to piece together what’s going on easily; they don’t rely too heavily on an encyclopedic knowledge of Yellowstone and are written carefully to carve out their own distinct paths. I can’t even say there are catchphrases or significant callbacks that come up in either series, although there is a plotline that is eerily similar to the “train station” on Dutton Ranch, the canyon on Yellowstone where the Dutton family used to dispose of bodies without a trace. Make of that what you will …

Aren’t there a bunch of prequels?

There are two! So far, at least. 1883 is the earliest in the Yellowstone timeline and arguably the strongest of the bunch. It is a post-Civil War family origin story, tracing the arduous process it took for James and Margaret Dutton (played by real-life couple and country stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill) to travel from Tennessee in the hopes of finding better pastures in Oregon, but eventually landing in Montana (against their will — most of their caravan doesn’t make it). There, they establish the iconic Yellowstone Ranch by making a deal with the native tribe that they could return the land to them in seven generations, a prophecy fulfilled by the end of Yellowstone when Kayce hatches a plan to give the land back to the tribe rather than sell it, as a way to preserve it. 1883 is a beautifully told and performed stand-alone miniseries worth watching even if you’re not invested in the wider Yellowstone universe.

Otherwise, there’s 1923. The Duttons have been on the Yellowstone Ranch for 40 years at this point, led by Cara (Helen Mirren) and Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford). 1923 tells a more fractured story than 1883, with multiple intertwining storylines. For one, Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) is traipsing around Kenya, wrangling lions and recovering from the trauma of serving in World War I.

Another compelling but terrifying storyline follows Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves) as she escapes violence and abuse at an American Indian boarding school. The show is one of Sheridan’s most expensive, reportedly costing between $30 million and $35 million per episode. It’s easy to see why — the show is opulent in its storytelling and production design, but quite the treat for those invested in the Dutton family saga. 1923 hasn’t been officially canceled, but the story will likely continue in the planned prequel 1944, another jump forward in time.

Is ‘The Madison’ related to the ‘Yellowstone’ universe?

Originally, it was reported that Michelle Pfeiffer had signed onto a Sheridan-produced drama that would tie back to the Yellowstone universe in some way. That show, The Madison, which premiered in March, turned out to be quite compelling, with positive reviews for Pfeiffer’s performance as a widow who moves from New York to Montana to rediscover the secret life her late husband led in the mountains. While the Montana of it all might suggest a Dutton tie, a decision was made somewhere along the way to keep it out of the franchise, so it has nothing to do with Yellowstone. For what it’s worth, it ranks highly on my personal list of Sheridan projects and has already been renewed for a third season.

What other shows exist in Taylor Sheridan’s repertoire?

Lioness is perhaps the series most distinct from the Yellowstone universe due to its CIA subject matter, though it’s not entirely a departure from Sheridan’s interests, given he wrote the 2015 film Sicario. It is also his only series to feature mostly female leads (Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, and Laysla de Oliveira), following a task force that trains operatives — the lionesses in question — to infiltrate terror cells. It’s a high-octane drama with shoot-outs and tanks, which can make for an entertaining watch that’s a big contrast from the more melodramatic family dramas in Sheridan’s catalog.

While wrangling cows is how the Duttons make their money on Yellowstone, The Norris family of Landman manages oil fields in West Texas. I find Landman to be grating to watch as it spins its wheels when it comes to plot; it seems to prefer long, ham-fisted political monologues about, like, Big Cereal. But it’s popular and boasts an impressive cast in Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore and Ali Larter, among other big names.

I’m overwhelmed: Which are must-watches?

Mileage will vary on his shows. Some seem to love Tulsa King and Mayor of Kingstown, which I find are two weaker entries to Sheridan’s filmography. That said, his bread and butter is Yellowstone, and I think there is plenty of drama to entertain you through those five seasons. His other shows all cannibalize what made that original series successful anyway. A gruff, grumpy but no-nonsense lead character played by a Hollywood veteran seems to be a staple across his series. As I mentioned above, 1883 is also a beautiful miniseries that won’t require too much of a commitment or any prior knowledge to watch.

I can’t get enough. Are there other ‘Yellowstone’ shows in development?

Well of course there are! Marshals is already renewed for a second season so we’ll be seeing more Kayce on our screens; Dutton Ranch is a safe bet for a renewal, despite some drama behind the scenes that led to Chad Feehan stepping down as showrunner. 1944 will be the third official prequel of the series, while 6666 has been a long-gestating spin-off about the real-life Four Sixes ranch that doesn’t seem to have made much progress since it was announced a few years ago, but could eventually materialize. Further down the line, Sheridan signed a new overall deal with NBCUniversal, which will begin in 2028 for his television projects, meaning we might start seeing future spin-offs appear on Peacock instead of Paramount+.