[PHOTOS] ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel Ideas: ‘1883’ Spinoffs and More

You’ve heard of Christmas in July? Well, we’re taking a midsummer moment to celebrate/anticipate another huge December event: The forthcoming premiere of the Yellowstone prequel 1923.

The newest chapter of what Paramount+ is calling Yellowstone‘s “origin story” — which began with the wildly popular 1883 prequel spinoff — will introduce viewers to the next two generations of the franchise’s central family, the Duttons “as they struggle to survive historic drought, lawlessness and prohibition, and an epidemic of cattle theft; all battled beneath the cloud of Montana’s great depression, which preceded the nation by almost a decade.” And it will be headlined by A-listers Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren in as-yet-unannounced roles.

In addition, Paramount+ has another 1883 offshoot in the works. Titled 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, the miniseries will star Selma‘s David Oyelowo as Reeves, aka “the greatest frontier hero in American history” who is believed to be the inspiration behind The Lone Ranger, according to the project’s official logline. And let’s not forget about 6666, yet another proposed spinoff that will focus on a huge, centuries-old Texas ranch known for its exemplary horses and livestock. (If the name sounds familiar, it’s because the ranch figured prominently in Yellowstone Season 4.)

While we eagerly await 1923, Bass Reeves and a return trip to the Four Sixes, we can’t help but dream about what other avenues executive producer Taylor Sheridan & Co. could take to expand the Yellowstone universe. So the list below is full of ideas for even more spinoffs we’d love to see.

Take a good look at our ideas for more Yellowstone series (John and Evelyn’s love story, anyone?), then hit the comments with your thoughts on how the Yellowstoneverse should go on and on!

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PINKERTON AT YOUR SERVICE

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After Brennan’s wife and daughter died of smallpox (sob!) but before he hooked up with the Germans — and, by extension, the Duttons — in the 1883 premiere, the former Union Army captain worked for the storied Pinkerton National Detective Agency. So did Thomas. And the private security firm was involved in some highly intriguing business during that era of American history, including hiring the first female detective. We’d definitely watch Brennan and Thomas on the job as some of America’s first private eyes.
CATCHING UP WITH THE COWBOYS

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1883’s finale focused on Elsa as she slowly slipped the surly bonds of Earth. But in the moments where we weren’t mopping away tears related to the plucky teen’s demise, we wondered where Colton and Wade went after they parted ways with the Duttons and the wagon train. Noah Le Gros’ and James Landry Hébert’s characters provided some fun, flirty levity to life on the Oregon Trail — how about a (hopefully more lighthearted) take on these two single, cattle-driving chuckleheads?
THE COURTSHIP OF ELSA’S MOTHER

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We never knew 1883‘s James and Margaret Dutton outside of their time on the Oregon Trail, an environment in which no one — except perhaps the effervescent Elsa — is at their best. How about showing us the story of the Duttons’ courtship and their lives as newlyweds? Maybe some glimpses of Margaret’s torturous years while he was a prisoner of war, and then their reunion after he was released?
JOHN AND EVELYN'S LOVE STORY

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We know how deep the rancher’s feelings for his late wife run. Back in Season 3 of Yellowstone, he forlornly admitted to son Kayce that “I’ve been half a man without her.” So let’s see what the Dutton family’s patriarch was like when he was whole. Let’s spend some time in the past and watch as he proves to his future missus that he’s the kind of cowboy who can provide her with a lifetime of happy trails.
BECOMING BETH

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Since Yellowstone’s premiere, John’s daughter has been a tornado, and everything and everyone in her path? Mere trailer parks. As portrayer Kelly Reilly explains to TVLine, after Beth’s fear accidentally led to her mother’s death, “She made a vow that she would never be afraid of anything ever again. It’s like Teflon around her heart.” But that kind of toughness isn’t forged overnight, which suggests that there’s a gripping, Succession-style prequel in the character’s rise to power in the business world.
RANGE ROVER

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Rip’s arm must’ve gotten awfully tired carrying a torch for Beth all the years that she was in school and working in the city. Perhaps he gave it a break now and then by inviting other women into his embrace, if not his heart? That’s what we’d (be dying to) find out in a Rip-centric Yellowstone prequel that would reveal how, as a younger man, the orphan became John’s trusty ranch foreman and enforcer.
BAD BLOOD BROUGHT TO A BOIL

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Ill-fated Garrett made it clear in Season 4 of Yellowstone that he’d felt justified in offing his drug-addicted wife, Phyllis. In turn, nemesis John had made it equally plain that he considered Jamie’s biological father worse than scum. But was he always the quintessence of evil? Did he ever possess a shred of decency, maybe one that rotted as John’s wife Evelyn second-guessed his attempts to do right? An especially dark 10 episodes could answer those questions.
BIRTH OF A LEGEND

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“Pray like hell and hold on.” Yup, the same advice that Lloyd gave Jimmy before his first rodeo would be well-taken by viewers of a prequel that tells the backstory of Yellowstone’s grizzled old ranch hand. And quite a tale it would have to be, too, considering that few and far between are the wranglers who are both as tough as Rip’s best man and as sensitive. Yes, we said sensitive: You don’t feud with a romantic rival the way Lloyd did if your heart’s as hard as your saddle.