'1923' Is Over. What's Next for the 'Yellowstone' Universe?

1923 aired its devastating/miserable series finale last Sunday. The mothership, Yellowstone, aired its series finale last December. The first Yellowstone prequel, 1883, ended its run in 2022.

And yet, there is no end in sight for the sprawling universe. The Yellowstone ranch is now back where it belongs — under the ownership of Native Americans — but there’s still plenty to explore both before and after the events of Yellowstone.

There is, for instance, another prequel on its way. 1944 will be set 21 years after the last prequel, and because we know from the 1923 series finale that Spencer Dutton survived another 45 years, it’s safe to say that Brandon Sklenar should return to play that character (the characters played by Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren are almost certainly deceased by 1944). It would also make John Dutton — Spencer and Alex’s son — 21 years old, which would probably put him smack dab in the middle of World War II. That prequel might also follow Elizabeth Strafford (Michelle Randolph), who left the ranch at the end of 1923 carrying her late husband’s child, another Dutton ancestor.

That leaves another 75 years between the next prequel and Yellowstone, so I wouldn’t rule out additional prequels.

However, the other projects take place after the events of Yellowstone. There is, for instance, a sequel spin-off of Yellowstone that will continue to follow characters played by Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser. Elsewhere, there is also The Madison, which is not a sequel but is set in the same universe.

That one is about a New York family processing grief from a recent tragedy while vacationing in rural Montana. So, like, White Lotus, but in Montana. That one stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Patrick Adams, and Elle Chapman. It’s due out next year.

Finally, CBS (rather than Paramount+) is actually eyeing another Yellowstone spin-off based on the character played by Luke Grimes, Kayce Dutton. That one would be a procedural, likely built around Kayce’s job as a livestock commissioner, which, as we all know, is where all the action is. I can’t wait to watch Kayce Dutton catch cow tippers and oversee meat inspection. That Mad Cow Disease episode is gonna be lit.