The Yellowstone franchise is getting bigger–and in some unexpected ways. Taylor Sheridan’s hit neo-Western television universe follows the complicated Dutton family, ranchers who will do anything to protect their land, throughout multiple generations, charting their rise and their fall with over a century of storytelling. The flagship series kicked off the franchise with a terrific five-season run, which came to an end late last year. However, Yellowstone’s series finale is far from the final word in Sheridan’s ongoing story.
The popular television franchise is set to continue with multiple Yellowstone spinoffs in the pipeline. As 1923 wraps up its second and final season, a series set shortly thereafter, 1944 aims to bridge the gap between the prequel and Yellowstone. Meanwhile, a spinoff following Rip Wheeler and Beth Dutton’s continuing adventures is also in the works, looking to incorporate certain abandoned storylines from Yellowstone’s unrealized sixth season. While these spinoffs will all follow the Duttons, another series will take the franchise in a completely different direction. Although still in early development, 6666 could change the Yellowstone franchise forever.
One Upcoming Yellowstone Spinoff Goes Beyond the Dutton Family Saga
6666 Will Follow the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas
6666 is a spinoff that will follow the exploits of the Four Sixes Ranch, an affiliate of John Dutton’s Yellowstone Ranch that appears on numerous occasions throughout the original series. Located in King County, Texas, the Four Sixes Ranch is a real-life historic property that breeds horses, rears cattle and trains cowboys. In Yellowstone, the ranch is where boys are sent to become men, as seen in Jimmy Hurdstrom’s storyline, wherein he is sent down to Texas to finally be trained as a real-life cowboy. The ranch hands at the Four Sixes aren’t easy on Jimmy, deriding and picking on him during his early stay. However, the rough conditions and animosity fuel Jimmy’s spirit and finally help him break free from his childlike ways. Presumably, the upcoming spinoff will follow more characters like Jimmy as they learn to become cowboys at the Four Sixes Ranch. However, this potential logline also marks a stark departure from the typical focus of a Yellowstone series.
6666 is most likely moving beyond the Dutton family to tell new stories with all-new characters. Currently, no members of the Dutton family are working at the Four Sixes Ranch, suggesting that the upcoming spinoff won’t focus on the franchise’s central family at all. Rather, the series will most likely follow a mostly new cast of characters with no affiliation to the Duttons. 6666 would still have room for some familiar characters, such as Travis Wheatley, one of Yellowstone’s most controversial characters, who is one of the leading employees of the Four Sixes. However, the show will most likely center around “new blood,” featuring a fresh cast of characters who aren’t Duttons or close friends of the family. This is extremely unusual given the franchise’s typical focus on a single family. All of its past series (Yellowstone, 1883, and 1923) followed different generations of the Dutton family. Yet, with most of the Duttons dead or moving on to other things, it makes sense for the franchise to introduce new characters outside of its central family. This could be the beginning of a new era for the Yellowstone franchise, in which the Duttons aren’t necessarily the main characters of any new series to join the television universe.
Is Moving Away From the Duttons a Good Thing for Yellowstone?
The Dutton Family’s Story May Be Coming to an End
For years, the Yellowstone television universe has focused solely on the complicated Dutton family as they struggled to make their way in the world over multiple centuries and generations. Taylor Sheridan has managed to tell a unique cross-generational story that begins in the pioneer days and carries on to modern times. Moving away from the Duttons after focusing on them for so long may decenter the franchise. It is always helpful for an expansive shared universe like Yellowstone to have a group of core characters that center the expansive story. Without such characters, viewers may lose interest in new Yellowstone spinoffs, causing the franchise to slowly die. However, if Taylor Sheridan and his team can introduce a band of new characters as compelling as the Duttons in shows like 6666, there is no reason that Yellowstone should remain tied to the same family. Given Sheridan’s propensity for writing interesting and complex characters, there is no reason to believe that he isn’t capable of conjuring up a new cast on par with the Duttons, thereby bringing Yellowstone into a new era that can see the franchise continue to expand for many years to come.
This isn’t to say that Yellowstone is finished with the Duttons. Currently, development is underway for an upcoming spinoff following Rip and Beth after the events of Yellowstone’s series finale. It is unclear whether this spinoff is devised as a limited series, similar to 1883 or 1923, or if Sheridan intends to continue the story in a multiseason format. By design, none of Yellowstone’s spinoffs have gone beyond two seasons. However, with the flagship series finished, the franchise will need a new show to take its place–and the Rip and Beth spinoff is the most likely candidate. If so, the Dutton family saga will continue for some time, keeping the franchise forever tied to its central family, even if not every series focuses solely on them.
