It’s no secret that Yellowstone has opened so many doors for creator Taylor Sheridan.
Ever since Yellowstone first made its debut back in 2018, we’ve seen a whole mess of Sheridan shows make their way onto TV screens across the country, and others that he may not have written himself, but executive produced. Of course, Yellowstone has brought us Kevin Costner, Kelly Reilly, and Cole Hauser, but since then, the parade of A-listers just keeps coming. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, Sam Elliott and Tim McGraw, Annette Bening, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell, Jeremy Renner, Sly Stallone, Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman, and of course, Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Hamm, Demi Moore… the list goes on.
Sheridan himself has signed a billion-dollar deal with NBC beginning in 2029, so it’s safe to say that most of these shows like Mayor of Kingstown, Landman, Lioness, Tulsa King, etc., will be coming to an end, with dozens of others possibly waiting in the wings to kick off the next decade. However, with the season finale of Dutton Ranch this past week, as well as a recent season 1 conclusion of the CBS Marshals spinoff, I started thinking about the Yellowstone universe and just how Sheridan has managed to crank out hit after hit after hit.
I mean, some think Marshals sucks, and to be fair, it’s a completely different type of show. It’s a procedural show, one made for network TV, written by someone else on the heels of the Yellowstone lore. It’s still a spinoff, but it doesn’t quite feel like Yellowstone at all. Meanwhile, Dutton Ranch feels like season 6 of the flagship series. It captured the classic Dutton vibe damn near perfectly, although it traded the beautiful mountains of Montana for the dusty fields of south Texas.
All that being said, I decided to compile a list of all of Taylor Sheridan’s shows, specifically in the Yellowstone universe, and I’ve ranked them from worst to best… here it goes:
5. Marshals
It’s not exactly a surprise that Marshals comes in last on the list. Granted, as I said in the intro, it’s just different. Different writing, different approach, a different style of storytelling…. but all that said, it just feels kind of clunky and awkward. With a new showrunner for Season 2, the kinks may get ironed out. The high-action, full throttle continuation of the story of Kayce Dutton is a great blueprint… they just gotta fine tune the execution. Riley Green was a nice bonus for country fans (and the ladies) though.
4. Yellowstone
Taylor Sheridan’s flagship series ended its ratings-dominant run at the end of 2024. Some say it ended with a bang, while others will tell you that it limped to the finish line. Even Taylor Sheridan will admit they were treading water a little bit there. Kevin Costner starred as John Dutton in all but the back half of the finale season, and we’ve since found out why he may have decided not to come back.
If you are reading this, I’ve got a feeling that you don’t need a synopsis of the western drama that followed the Dutton family and their Yellowstone ranch. It was a heck of a ride, and it’s a shame that it didn’t get to conclude with Costner.
3. Dutton Ranch
Call it slightly presumptuous to put this ahead of the flagship series after just one season, but I found it to be fully entertaining, capturing the spirit of Yellowstone, but fine tuned. We saw some intense drama, some cliffhangers and shocking surprises, but it feels like Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly have really taken these characters to the next level. If it only lasts a couple of seasons we may have to revisit this and drop it down a notch, but right now, I think it has the potential be better. Am I crazy?
2. 1883
This show, which only ran for one season and starred Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sam Elliott and even featured brief appearance from Billy Bob Thornton, acted as an origin story for the Dutton family. It revealed how they settled in the Paradise Valley of Montana after making their way north from Texas, and it was very much critically acclaimed.
The two country stars in leading roles were phenomenal, the setting and backdrop was stunning, and the story was absolutely epic and gripping. The show itself helped build out the world of Yellowstone that much more. Fans loved the show, and critics did too. But… it’s not my favorite.
1. 1923
Finally, we get to my top-ranked show in the world of Yellowstone, 1923. Another Yellowstone prequel spinoff, it stars Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford along with impressive supporting actors and actresses like Brandon Sklenar, Jerome Flynn, Darren Mann, and Michelle Randolph, among others. It gives fans a look at how the Duttons handled Western expansion, the Prohibition Era, and the Great Depression.
And why was it so loved? Where should I start? The production design? The period costumes? The impressive performances from Ford and Mirren? Even the crazy Timothy Dalton? It was a whirlwind of perfection. The series finale had mixed reactions, I suppose, and some complained that it was too slow… but you have to let that intensity build. It was all about the journey, not the destination, and that’s why I loved it.
