Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone Universe Enters A New Era On Paramount+

Image via Paramount Published Oct 13, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more. Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics." Sign in to your ScreenRant account Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone franchise shows no signs of slowing down many years into the universe's run, and after a new release on Paramount+, an exciting new era of what should be a long future is now underway for the Western franchise. The genre once dominated theaters, with stars like Clint Eastwood and John Wayne emerging as the faces of Western movies. However, with time, the Western hype died down. It was not until Sheridan's Yellowstone debuted on June 20, 2018, that the genre truly came roaring back. After Yellowstone became a global hit, Sheridan's list of TV shows would come to grow to include multiple Yellowstone spin-offs, both prequels and sequels, as well as unrelated Western series. He was not the only one. Several Western TV shows and movies have emerged after Yellowstone showed that modern audiences were still interested in the genre. That said, as the project that revitalized the genre, Yellowstone continues to stand in the spotlight. The Sheridan series might have ended, but the Yellowstone universe is still alive and well, and it just so happens that the Western franchise has entered a new era. Choose the movie with the higher Rotten Tomatoes score. Marshals recently returned with season 2, finding streaming success on Paramount+, and taking over from another Yellowstone spin-off. After Sheridan's Yellowstone, the Western franchise has expanded through two prequel shows, 1883 and 1923, and two sequel series, Dutton Ranch and Marshals. Now, it enters a new era as the Western universe ponders on its future, which should include more shows. Marshals Season 2 Continues The Yellowstone Franchise's Success & There's More To Come Marshals starts a new era for the Yellowstone franchise in a way that can be measured by cold numbers. After season 1 debuted on CBS on March 1 and concluded on May 24, following a 13-episode run, Marshals season 2 has already been released in the same year. The Yellowstone spin-off series' new batch of episodes started airing on October 4. At the time of writing, two episodes of Marshals season 2 have been released on CBS and Paramount+ thus far. That was enough to make Marshals the most-watched TV show on Paramount+ worldwide, dethroning Tom Hardy's MobLand, according to FlixPatrol. This is an exciting development for the Yellowstone franchise, and one that marks the passing of the baton. After all, Dutton Ranch season 1 debuted on May 15 and concluded on July 3, making its episodes fresher for Western fans in comparison to Marshals season 1, which led to that TV show rising to lead Paramount+'s charts for an extended period, even if MobLand had become the streamer's global #1 after season 2's debut on September 18. This new era for the Yellowstone franchise just indicates that the Western universe remains as popular as ever, and Dutton Ranch season 2 should eventually have the same success. The Sheridan-verse · Ranch Assessment Taylor Sheridan Trivia Challenge 🏠 Yellowstone Protect the ranch 🐴 1883 The Oregon Trail 🌾 1923 Drought & dust 🔒 Kingstown Prison politics 🎼 Tulsa King Made man, new town SADDLE UP → 01 The Dutton family has controlled the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States for over a century. In which state is the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch located? A Wyoming B Montana C Idaho D Colorado ✓ Correct! The Yellowstone Dutton Ranch sits near the border of Yellowstone National Park in Montana. The show is filmed primarily in Montana, with the real-life Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby serving as the Dutton homestead. ✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Montana. The Dutton Ranch borders Yellowstone National Park in Big Sky Country. While the rugged landscape could pass for Wyoming or Idaho, the show is set — and largely filmed — in Montana. NEXT → 02 John Dutton is the iron-willed patriarch who will stop at nothing to protect his family’s land. Which Oscar-winning actor portrayed him for the first four seasons of Yellowstone? A Sam Elliott B Josh Brolin C Kevin Costner D Kurt Russell ✓ Correct! Kevin Costner brought gravitas and quiet intensity to John Dutton, anchoring Yellowstone as one of the most-watched shows on cable television. His departure ahead of Season 5B became one of the biggest stories in TV. ✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Kevin Costner. While Sam Elliott did appear in 1883, Josh Brolin has his own Sheridan series (Outer Range isn’t Sheridan’s), and Kurt Russell hasn’t joined the Sheridan-verse. Costner defined John Dutton. NEXT → 03 In the prequel series 1883, a Civil War veteran leads his family on a brutal wagon-train journey from Texas to Montana to find a new home. What is the name of this original Dutton patriarch? A James Dutton B Jacob Dutton C John Dutton Sr. D Emmett Dutton ✓ Correct! James Dutton, played by Tim McGraw, is the Civil War veteran who leads his wife Margaret and their children on the perilous journey west. His daughter Elsa narrates the series, and the family’s arrival in Montana establishes the Yellowstone Ranch. ✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is James Dutton. Jacob Dutton is the character Harrison Ford plays in 1923 — James’s brother. John Dutton Sr. doesn’t appear until later generations, and Emmett Dutton doesn’t exist in the Sheridan-verse. NEXT → 04 On the Dutton Ranch, certain cowboys receive a permanent mark of loyalty — a hot-iron brand seared into their skin that signifies a blood oath to the ranch. What symbol is this feared brand? A A “D” inside a circle B A horseshoe C A skull and crossbones D The letter “Y” ✓ Correct! The branded “Y” is the Yellowstone Ranch’s livestock mark, but for ranch hands, wearing it on their chest means a lifelong oath of silence and loyalty. “Taking someone to the train station” is what happens to those who betray it. ✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is the letter “Y” — for Yellowstone. The brand is both a ranch identifier and a mark of absolute loyalty. Characters like Rip, Kayce, and Jimmy all bear the “Y” brand, signifying they’ve sworn their lives to the ranch. NEXT → 05 In 1923, the Dutton family battles drought, Prohibition, and encroaching modernity during the Great Depression era. Which legendary Hollywood actor plays patriarch Jacob Dutton? A Robert Redford B Harrison Ford C Clint Eastwood D Tommy Lee Jones ✓ Correct! Harrison Ford stars as Jacob Dutton alongside Helen Mirren as his wife Cara. Ford’s casting marked his first major television role and brought massive star power to the expanding Sheridan-verse. The series is set during Prohibition and the early Depression. ✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Harrison Ford. In his first major TV role, Ford plays Jacob Dutton, brother of James Dutton from 1883. Helen Mirren stars opposite him as Cara Dutton. Their star power helped make 1923 Paramount+’s biggest premiere. NEXT → 06 Beth Dutton’s volatile love story with a tough ranch foreman is one of Yellowstone’s most beloved storylines. The two eventually marry in a surprise ceremony. Who is Beth’s husband? A Lloyd Pierce B Walker C Rip Wheeler D Jimmy Hurdstrom ✓ Correct! Rip Wheeler, played by Cole Hauser, is John Dutton’s most loyal enforcer and Beth’s husband. Taken in by John as a teenager after a traumatic past, Rip would do anything for the Dutton family — and his fierce devotion to Beth became a fan-favorite romance. ✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Rip Wheeler. Lloyd Pierce is the bunkhouse elder, Walker is a ranch hand and musician, and Jimmy Hurdstrom is the hapless cowboy who eventually gets sent to the 6666 Ranch in Texas. Only Rip won Beth’s wild heart. NEXT → 07 In Mayor of Kingstown, a family serves as power brokers in a Michigan town where the prison industry is the only business. Which family navigates this dark world of incarceration and corruption? A The McLusky family B The Reilly family C The Kingsley family D The Dutton family ✓ Correct! The McLusky family, led by Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner), acts as unofficial mediators between prisoners, gangs, police, and politicians in Kingstown, Michigan. The show is one of Sheridan’s grittiest explorations of the American justice system. ✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is the McLusky family. Jeremy Renner stars as Mike McLusky, who inherits the role of “mayor” — an unofficial power broker between inmates, gangs, and law enforcement. The Duttons are Yellowstone’s dynasty, not Kingstown’s. NEXT → 08 One Dutton sibling is an adopted son and ambitious lawyer who frequently clashes with his family — sometimes even conspiring against them. His complex loyalty drives much of the show’s drama. Who is he? A Kayce Dutton B Lee Dutton C Tate Dutton D Jamie Dutton ✓ Correct! Jamie Dutton, played by Wes Bentley, is the adopted son and Harvard-educated lawyer whose desperate need for his father’s approval and political ambition create some of Yellowstone’s most dramatic betrayals. His rivalry with Beth is legendary. ✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Jamie Dutton. Kayce is John’s biological youngest son (a former Navy SEAL), Lee is the eldest son who dies in Season 1, and Tate is Kayce’s young son. Only Jamie is the adopted lawyer who conspires against the family. REVEAL MY SCORE → Round-Up Complete Your Ranch Record / 8 Are you a ranch foreman — or headed straight to the train station? ↻ RIDE AGAIN It also signals that the Yellowstone franchise is likely to continue expanding. In the past, Sheridan had plans for two other Yellowstone shows. At least one of them is not happening, as Sheridan revealed in August on the Rodeo Time podcast that the 6666 spin-off about the storied ranch would not be moving forward. That said, there is still the potential 1944 idea, which could include characters from the Yellowstone prequel series 1923, such as Brandon Sklenar's Spencer Dutton, as the actor has made clear in interviews that he would love to work with Sheridan as an older version of Spencer. In fact, Sheridan and Sklenar reunite in 2027, as their action thriller movie, F.A.S.T., which Sklenar stars and Sheridan wrote, will be released in theaters on May 14, 2027. 1944 would be the perfect project to explore a hard moment in history, seeing what became of the Duttons during World War II. As for Sheridan's other projects outside the Yellowstone franchise, the creator continues to find success with the spy thriller series Lioness, which has yet to be renewed for another season, the crime thriller Tulsa King, whose future is secured, and even Western The Madison. Marshals' streaming success continues that string of both Yellowstone and non-Yellowstone hits. Yellowstone TV Show(s) Yellowstone, 1883, 1923 First TV Show Yellowstone Cast Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Gil Birmingham, Brecken Merrill, Jefferson White, Danny Huston Created by Taylor Sheridan Latest TV Show 1923 Upcoming TV Shows The Madison