A sturdy, big-sky prequel that leans into frontier hardship, family mythmaking, and prestige Western spectacle. It is less propulsive than Yellowstone at its most soapy, but stronger when it focuses on survival, land, and the Duttons’ brutal code.
1923
Where to watch: Buy
TV Show · Drama · Western
Sun
Created by: Taylor Sheridan
Starring: Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Brandon Sklenar
Overview
Follow a new generation of the Dutton family during the early twentieth century when pandemics, historic drought, the end of Prohibition and the Great Depression all plague the mountain west, and the Duttons who call it home.
Created by
Taylor Sheridan
Cast
Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Brandon Sklenar, Julia Schlaepfer, Jerome Flynn, Darren Mann, Isabel May, Brian Geraghty
Curator Review
Verdict
A sturdy, big-sky prequel that leans into frontier hardship, family mythmaking, and prestige Western spectacle. It is less propulsive than Yellowstone at its most soapy, but stronger when it focuses on survival, land, and the Duttons’ brutal code.
Best for
Western fans
Viewers who like prestige family sagas
Fans of Taylor Sheridan’s rugged, episodic storytelling
People who enjoy sweeping period drama with strong production values
Skip if
You want a light or fast-moving series
You dislike grim violence and bleak frontier suffering
You prefer tightly plotted shows without soap-opera detours
You are not interested in the Yellowstone universe
Overview
1923 is one of Taylor Sheridan’s most accomplished Yellowstone-era entries, using the early 20th century to widen the family saga into something harsher and more elegiac. The series benefits enormously from Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford, who give the Dutton myth real gravity and make the ranch feel like a place where history itself is a predator.
Worth noting
The show works best as a survival drama: drought, disease, economic collapse, and violence all press in at once, and the production sells the scale of that pressure. It has Sheridan’s familiar strengths — stark landscapes, blunt moral codes, and a strong sense of American myth — but also some of his weaknesses, including occasional melodramatic plotting and a pace that can feel deliberately brooding.
Bottom line
Season 1 is the essential entry point and Season 2 continues the story with the same rugged appeal, though the series remains more about atmosphere and character endurance than intricate plotting. If you want a serious, old-fashioned Western with prestige polish and a tragic family pulse, it’s an easy recommendation.
2018 · Where to watch: fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Philo, Peacock Premium Plus
The modern companion piece: same family mythology, same land-war stakes, and the most direct match for Sheridan’s ranch politics and melodramatic momentum.
1989 · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus, Fandango at Home Free, Pluto TV, Shout! Factory TV, Plex, Tubi TV
The gold standard for sprawling, character-driven Western storytelling and a great fit for anyone who likes epic frontier journeys.