It’s no secret that Yellowstone’s latest prequel series, 1923, was arguably the most highly anticipated TV series in the US this winter.
And the numbers speak for itself, wracking up a whopping 7.4 million views during its premiere on Sunday.
Needless to say, it’s a testament to the hard work creator Taylor Sheridan has put in, and of course, having a star studded cast with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren leading the charge as Jacob and Cara Dutton, doesn’t hurt.
It’s also an intriguing time period, considering the hardships the US was facing during the time, from the aftermath of World War I, Prohibition, the beginning of the Great Depression, and the Spanish Flu.
But speaking of Sheridan, he recently sat down for an interview with Deadline to discuss the show, and how he was able to pull together such a star studded cast without even having a finished script.
He recalled how he was able to bring on both Ford and Mirren and it was easier than you think:
“Truth? I called him and said come down to my ranch and he flew down. I did the same with Helen… Yeah. He flew down. I said, we’re going to do this thing together. He goes, can I read a script?
I said, you can when it’s written, but it ain’t written yet and you got to commit to it now. I need to know who I’m writing for. I’m done wondering who I’m writing for, and I have to go try to chase the person I had in my mind and I can’t get the person because they’re doing some fu*king Netflix show. I don’t do that shit anymore.
So, are you going to do it or are you going to watch Chris Cooper do the next great thing? What do you want to do? I poured about two bottles of wine down him.
He said yes. I got him on the plane as fast as I could, closed the deal and said, send me the next one. Then came Helen, and same thing. Have a glass of wine.”
Gotta love the ego on Sheridan, right?
I don’t have a script, but it’s going to be amazing, and I’m gonna need a “yes” or a “no” right now, otherwise I’m gonna go call Chris Cooper… want a whole bottle of wine? Two bottles?
When he finally got the script, after already agreeing to do the film, Harrison Ford was more than impressed:
“I sent them the script and he called me and he goes, ‘it’s fu*king perfect. When do we start?’”
Sheridan also discussed Ford and Mirren’s desire to come back for the second installment of the limited series after loving the storyline, and recalled a hilarious conversation with Ford while filming:
“They only signed on originally for one season. They were so eager to continue it… Harrison made a comment at one point, he goes, Taylor I think I’m making the best thing I’ve made in 20 years.
And my response to him was, ‘what the f*ck did you make 20 years ago as good as this? What was that? I missed that one. What was it?'”
At this point, it seems as though Taylor Sheridan’s reputation alone is giving him a blank check and access to some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. And with each project, production just goes bigger and bigger.
In 1883, we saw cameos from Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Billy Bob Thornton and more, and Taylor hints at 1923 being a similar situation:
“I do love to find these great actors that I don’t tell anybody that they’re in and they just surprise you. I love those Easter eggs, for lack of a better term. And selfishly to get a chance to work with Tom Hanks and some of the other people, what’s better?
Wait until you see some of the people I pulled in for this one.”
Whatever he’s doing… he’s doing something right.
1923 airs Sundays on Paramount+.
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So without further ado… mapping out the entire Dutton family, from 1883, to today.
The Dutton Family
1883:
James Dutton
The original patriarch of the Dutton Family, James (Tim McGraw) was a farmer from Tennessee who took his family out west in search of a new life. The husband of Margaret Dutton and father of Elsa, John and Spencer, he chose to establish the modern day Dutton Ranch where his daughter Elsa passed away.
Margaret Dutton
The original matriarch of the Dutton Family, Margaret (Faith Hill) is married to James Dutton and the mother of Elsa, John and Spencer Dutton.
Elsa Dutton
Elsa (Isabel May) was the eldest child of James and Margaret Dutton. She also serves as the narrator of both 1883 and 1923. She was going to marry a cowboy named Ennis, however, he was killed on the journey West. She vowed to return to a Comanche warrior named Sam once her family reached its destination, however she was killed in an attack on the wagon train. The Dutton Ranch property was established where she died, and she was the first to be buried there.
John Dutton
John Dutton (Audie Rick in 1883, James Badge Dale in 1923) is the son of James and Margaret Dutton, brother to Elsa and Spencer. He was just a young boy during the events of 1883, however in 1923, he works alongside his uncle Jacob on the Dutton Ranch. He is married to Emma Dutton, and they have at least one son, Jack.
Claire Dutton
Claire (Dawn Olivieri) is James Dutton’s sister, who joins the journey west with her daughter Mary Abel. A widow, she kills herself once her daughter is killed on the trail.
1923
Jacob Dutton
Jacob (Harrison Ford) is the brother of James Dutton, who becomes the leader of the family once James passes away. He and his wife, Cara Dutton, work to run the ranch with their nephews, John and Spencer, and John’s son Jack.
Cara Dutton
Cara (Helen Mirren) is the wife of Jacob Dutton. A hard-nosed Irish immigrant, she becomes the matriarch of the Dutton family in 1923, following the passing of Margaret and James.
Spencer Dutton
Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) is the second son of James and Margaret Dutton. Born after the Duttons settled in Montana (and the death of his sister, Elsa), Spencer is a WWI vet who spends time hunting in Africa before returning back to Montana to work the ranch.
Emma Dutton
Emma (Marley Shelton) is the wife of John Dutton Sr. and the mother of Jack Dutton.
Jack Dutton
Jack (Darren Mann) works on the Dutton Ranch alongside his father, John Dutton Sr. and great-uncle, Jacob Dutton. He is engaged to Elizabeth Strafford, the daughter of another notable rancher.
With the hints that Elizabeth may already be pregnant, my suspicion is that Jack may be the father of John Dutton II since the “II” title is generally used when the child is named after another relative, not the father. This is just a guess, but my hunch is that John Dutton won’t survive 1923, and Jack will name his first born son after his late father… John Dutton II. The other option is that John or spencer have another son who then goes on to father John II.
Elizabeth Strafford-Dutton
Elizabeth (Michelle Randolph) is Jack’s fiancée. The two end up postponing their wedding briefly, but are planning on marrying very soon. There is also a suspicion that she might already be pregnant.
Yellowstone
John Dutton III
The modern day leader of the Dutton family and the current Governor of Montana. He is the father of Lee Dutton, Beth Dutton and Kayce Dutton, and the adoptive father of Jamie Dutton.
Evelyn Dutton
Evelyn (Gretchen Mol) is the wife of John Dutton III who passed away in a horseback riding accident when her children were young. She is the mother of Lee, Beth and Kayce Dutton.
Lee Dutton
Lee (Dave Annable) is the oldest son of John and Evelyn Dutton. The heir to the Dutton Ranch, Lee was killed by Robert Long (Monica’s brother) after an argument broke out over stolen cattle.
Beth Dutton
Beth (Kelly Reilly) is the daughter of John Dutton III and wife of Rip Wheeler, her father’s ranch foreman and right-hand man. Unable to have children of her own, her and Rip have taken in teenage Carter.
Rip Wheeler
Rip (Cole Hauser) is the Yellowstone foreman and right-hand man of John Dutton III. He came to the Dutton Ranch as an orphaned teenager after he killed his own father (who killed his mother and brother). Teenage sweethearts, he eventually marries John’s daughter, Beth Dutton.
Kayce Dutton
Kayce (Luke Grimes) is the youngest of the Dutton siblings, and a former Navy SEAL. He’s married to Monica Dutton and the father of Tate Dutton and John Dutton IV (deceased).
Monica Dutton
Monica (Kelsea Asbille) was raised on the Broken Rock Reservation. She is married to Kayce Dutton and the mother of Tate Dutton and John Dutton IV.
Tate Dutton
Tate (Brecken Merrill) is the oldest son of Kayce and Monica Dutton, the eldest of the 7th generation of Duttons.
John Dutton IV
John Dutton IV is the second son of Kayce and Monica Dutton, who tragically only lived a few hours following complications from an early birth and a car accident.
Jamie Dutton
Jamie (Wes Bentley) is the adopted son of John Dutton III and the black sheep of the Dutton family.
Christina
Christina is Jamie’s ex assistant and the mother of his child.
James Dutton Jr.
The son of Jamie Dutton and his ex-girlfriend Christina, Jamie finds out he has a son after the birth.
1923 is available to stream… NOW.
