There might be another Yellowstone spinoff on the way, and there’s a good chance that you’ve never heard of this one. If it is indeed part of the Yellowstone universe, it will supposedly take the Dutton family’s origins all the way back to Scotland.
Taylor Sheridan is arguably the biggest name in all of television (and movies, for that matter), and is the mind behind some of the most successful series in the past decade. Yellowstone averaged just shy of 10 million viewers every episode, and that number stretched even higher during its fifth and final season.
And the monster ratings for that show basically got everything else green lit for Sheridan.
Yellowstone spinoffs continue to bring in millions upon millions of viewers, which is almost unheard of in the modern day of media consumption. Prequels 1883 and 1923 were beloved by Yellowstone fans, and the Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler spinoff that premiered earlier this year, titled Dutton Ranch, just set a record for the biggest premiere on Paramount+. Around 12.9 million people tuned in during the show’s first week.
Then when you factor in other series outside of the Yellowstone brand (but still under the Sheridan umbrella) like The Madison, Mayor of Kingstown, Landman, he simply doesn’t miss. And possibly more importantly, the Yellowstone co-creator keeps the content coming. So much so that there’s another prequel spinoff on the way, according to reports, and not much has been revealed about it until now.
The Sun shared information they obtained from a TV insider that another Sheridan show is currently in production for Paramount+. It’s set to be titled The Laird (which translates to “large estate owner in Scotland”), and it will reportedly explore a connection between the Scottish Highlands and America in the late 1700s to early 1800s.
“This drama is likely to explore the links between Scotland and America, which is a theme that has come up in previous shows such as ‘Yellowstone.'”
Sign me up.
Fans of Yellowstone might remember that the Dutton family does trace their lineage back to Scotland. Wes Bentley’s character, Jamie Dutton, explains this in Yellowstone, and this new show, which really hasn’t been talked about much at all, is expected to explore that:
“That Western featured the Dutton family who revealed they originated in the Scottish Highlands, and in the 18th and 19th centuries huge numbers of Scots emigrated across the Atlantic to start new lives. In a darker chapter of the country’s history, many Scots also became involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, becoming rich landowners in the process and giving their names to many of the slaves they owned.”
be clear, we don’t know if the show will in fact be a Dutton prequel, but it sounds like “The Laird” could delve into some deeper and more serious tones about the Dutton origin story. And if it ends up being anything like the existing prequels – 1883 and 1923 – we’re all in for a real treat.
According to the same source, filming on the project is supposed to start later this month, and the prequel would then shoot for a 2027 release. I feel like a broken record saying this… but leave it to Taylor Sheridan to somehow work out the idea for yet another series that’s sure to be a hit. No one is as prolific as he is when it comes to making television. And… we know they’ve already green-lighted a 1944 prequel series, but there is no word on whether that is expected to begin production as of right now.
Guess that’s why NBCUniversal backed up the Brinks truck to get him on their team starting in 2029.
