How Taylor Sheridan Perfected The TV Shared Universe With Yellowstone

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone and its spinoffs have perfected the concept of a shared TV universe, and it’s worth investigating how he managed to overcome many of the problems other shared universes often run into. Yellowstone and its two spinoff shows, 1883 and 1923, have been wildly popular. They’ve catapulted Taylor Sheridan from a renowned screenwriter to a symbol of the Western genre as a whole, and Yellowstone is showing no signs of slowing down since the ending of 1923. TV shows with large shared universes usually struggle to find massive audiences, though, and Sheridan’s success is almost unprecedented.

In fact, Taylor Sheridan has perfected the shared TV universe. Yellowstone and its spinoffs are not just the most popular, but likely also the best example of an interconnected franchise. It’s easy to attribute it all to Sheridan’s quality writing – the lowest-scored Yellowstone show is actually Yellowstone, with 83% on Rotten Tomatoes – but it’s not just that he writes good shows. Sheridan has managed to avoid every pitfall most shared TV universes fall prey to, and the quality of his writing has stayed consistent throughout eight seasons of television. The Yellowstone franchise’s success is certainly worth looking at more closely.

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Shows Don’t Rely On Crossovers

Yellowstone, 1883, & 1923 Can All Be Watched Independently Or Skipped

Perhaps the biggest advantage the Yellowstone shared universe has over its contemporaries is its independence. Yellowstone, 1883, and 1923 are all distinct, standalone shows that don’t have crossovers to connect to one another. In fact, there often can’t be crossovers between shows, because they’re all set in distinct time periods, decades apart, with completely isolated problems. That lack of crossovers means that the Yellowstone universe doesn’t have any “required” viewing order. If you loved Yellowstone but hated 1883, there’s no reason to continue watching it because Yellowstone would still work even without the prequel.

Take, for example, the One Chicago universe. Viewers who are only interested in Chicago Fire may be disappointed to learn that they need to also watch Chicago P.D., Chicago Justice, and Chicago Med to fully understand who all the characters are and how they relate to one another. Yellowstone doesn’t have this problem. Aside from references to long-dead ancestors and Elsa Dutton’s narration, a viewer who only watches, say, 1923, can enjoy it as a standalone, self-contained show without being confused. 1883 and 1923 are completely additional to Yellowstone, and none of them require watching anything else.

Yellowstone’s Spinoffs Add To The History Of The Family

1883 & 1923 Gave The Dutton Family & Their Fight For The Yellowstone More Weight

Yellowstone has avoided unnecessary crossovers that make it more difficult to watch each show, but Sheridan has also been very smart about the types of stories he’s telling in each spinoff. 1883 and 1923 have enhanced the history of the Dutton family and their fight for the Yellowstone ranch. While you don’t need to know how James Dutton actually got the ranch in the first place in 1883, that added knowledge and context can make Yellowstone better. The prequels have turned Yellowstone from a story about a single moment in time into the latest chapter in a century-long and generation-spanning saga.

The best way to illustrate how 1883 and 1923 have enhanced Yellowstone without taking away its status as a standalone show is through John Dutton III. Watching Yellowstone, you get the sense that the Duttons have had this ranch for generations and that John III is fighting desperately for his legacy and his family’s future. After watching 1883 and 1923, however, you realize just how much tragedy, blood, sweat, hopes, and dreams have gone into the Yellowstone, which makes the fact that the ranch is slipping through John III’s fingers in Yellowstone even weightier.

You would still understand why John III wants to keep his land without watching the prequels, but the earlier chapters of Dutton history make his fight even more meaningful. After watching 1883 and 1923, John III goes from an empathetic but stubborn man to a person who is desperately holding onto a history that you care about. He isn’t fighting for some unseen, long-dead ancestors, he’s fighting for the same land Jacob, Jack, and Spencer fought for in 1923. The prequels have added a huge amount of texture and history to Yellowstone, yet it’s all still optional viewing.

Taylor Sheridan’s Vision Is Continued Across All Yellowstone Shows

Sheridan Created & Led All 3 Yellowstone Shows, So All 3 Share A Cohesive Creative Voice

Adding to the history and context of Yellowstone while making sure that 1883 and 1923 don’t become a chore to view in order to watch the original show is a difficult balancing act. A major reason Taylor Sheridan was able to pull it off is because he’s had a consistent creative vision across every Yellowstone show. Sheridan himself created and wrote Yellowstone, 1883, and 1923, whereas other shared universes are forced to split control among many different creators with (sometimes) conflicting creative voices.

Sheridan’s ability to make the Yellowstone universe cohesive is best highlighted by comparing it to the MCU. For Marvel, each new movie or show has a new vision as new directors, writers, and producers are brought in. That means the MCU, as a whole, can be more diverse and tell different kinds of stories, but it comes at the cost of not having a single, unifying message. Each installment in the Yellowstone franchise, however, shares similarities with all the rest: they’re largely about the importance of family, legacy, and the fight to protect what you love.

Taylor Sheridan never had to share his creative vision for Yellowstone with anyone else, which let him do a few interesting things. For one, Sheridan’s creative voice is extremely clear across Yellowstone, 1883, and 1923. There are very few distractions from the power plays and the search for an enduring legacy that the Yellowstone saga focuses on. Because Sheridan has had his hand at the proverbial rudder for the entire duration of Yellowstone, each show feels like a chapter of a larger story, rather than a loosely connected tale happening at the same time.

What’s Next For Taylor Sheridan’s Shared Yellowstone Universe?

Sheridan Has A Host Of Yellowstone Spinoff Shows In The Works

Taylor Sheridan’s ability to crack the shared TV universe code has resulted in his shows becoming hugely popular. As such, many viewers are likely wondering what’s next for Yellowstone. Luckily, Sheridan has a huge array of upcoming Yellowstone spinoffs in the works. There’s the aptly-named 1944, which is poised to follow a new generation of Duttons, as well as The Madison, which will follow a new dynasty aside from the Duttons. There’s also 6666, which will follow Jimmy, and a currently untitled spinoff focusing on Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler.

There are already plenty of new Yellowstone shows on the horizon, but there’s really no telling how many more could come. Now that Sheridan has proven he’s got the winning formula for a vast and sprawling shared TV universe, we don’t really know where the limit is. As long as viewers want to keep watching Western TV shows, Sheridan could continue making Yellowstone spinoffs for decades. He’s shown no signs of slowing down, and Paramount seems more than happy to continue funding and profiting off his creations. Sheridan truly has a winning formula with the Yellowstone franchise.