The cast of Yellowstone spinoff 1923 is ballooning into a bigger collection of stars compared to any other show in Taylor Sheridan’s Neo-Western Universe, and this strong ensemble may just allow 1923 to replace Yellowstone as Sheridan’s new flagship series. Combined with what’s been revealed about the prequel’s story and factions, the 1923 cast already makes the spinoff sound better and more exciting than Yellowstone. In fact, based on the timeline, viewers will take a deep dive into the darkest chapter in Dutton family history in 1923. With Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren starring as the Dutton Ranch patriarch and matriarch, Jacob and Cara Dutton, 1923 could become the biggest antihero crime drama of this decade, especially as these film legends will be joined by several television veterans in the lead cast.
Local lawman and friend of the Duttons, Sheriff William McDowell, will be played by Robert Patrick (Terminator 2, Peacemaker), while Jerome Flynn (Game of Thrones, Ripper Street) will be the hard-headed, brogue-wearing Scotsman, Banner Creighton, the leader of the local sheep men. The other Duttons in the cast are Jacob’s nephew John Sr. (the little boy in 1883), his wife Emma, their son Jack, and John Sr.’s brother Spencer, who are respectively played by James Badge Dale, Marley Shelton, Darren Mann, and Brandon Sklenar. Notably, Darren Mann’s Jack Dutton is the first member of the previously missing third generation of Yellowstone‘s Duttons to appear onscreen. The 1923 cast also includes Brian Geraghty as Dutton ranch foreman Zane Davis, Jennifer Ehle as Sister Mary O’Connor who teaches at the School For American Indians in Montana, and Julia Schlaepfer as Alexandra, a woman who meets a Dutton abroad. Moreover, Aminah Nieves will play government residential boarding school resident Teonna Rainwater, whose name suggests that 1923 will reveal more about the Duttons’ relationship with the Confederated Tribes of Broken Rock.
The 1923 cast seems ready to take over the Sheridan-verse, which is a good sign for Sheridan’s growing roster of contemporary Neo-Westerns. As the main story of this shared Neo-Western universe could see its conclusion in Yellowstone season 5, the prequel spinoff 1923 is the perfect opportunity to continue telling the story of the Duttons, no matter how Yellowstone ends. Just like Yellowstone, 1923 has the potential to spawn several seasons, with each new season tackling a different decade in the greatest ranch in Montana.
Why 1923 Can Beat Yellowstone & 1883
The real reason why the 1923 cast is so stacked with talent is that the timeline and setting provide the foundations for a much more complex, compelling, and substantially darker story than both Yellowstone and 1883. Indeed, 1923 combines the best of these two previous shows, during this decade, the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch is already established, but instead of Paradise Valley’s gorgeous suburban landscape, most of Montana is still at the mercy of the elements and frontier justice. While Yellowstone may not end in season 5 and 1883 season 2’s Bass Reeves story will see the Sheridan-verse debut of the greatest frontier lawman in history, 1923 combines what made these previous shows so successful in order to flesh out the untold story of the Duttons.
1923 is an improvement on the formula of Yellowstone, set in an ever harsher backdrop than 1883, and with more stars. The prequel will also reveal how the Duttons transformed from the pioneering settlers of 1883 into the scheming politicians of Yellowstone. In terms of the prequel’s future, even if the first season spans a decade, 1923 will still have about 90 years’ worth of Dutton history to explore over any succeeding seasons.
