Yellowstone’s Newest Spinoff Marks a Major First for the Franchise

Even after the flagship series ended last year, Yellowstone is still expanding in the form of new spinoffs following iconic characters. Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western television universe has captivated audiences for the better part of a decade, following the turbulent Dutton family as they fight to protect their ancestral ranch, which has often been the target of greedy land developers looking to make a quick buck. Charting the Dutton family saga for over a century, Yellowstone depicts the beginning and end of their relationship with the land, but now, the franchise looks to move beyond its central ranch to focus more on the characters that make up its terrific cast.

It was recently reported that Taylor Sheridan is developing a Yellowstone spinoff following Luke Grimes’s Kayce Dutton after the events of the flagship series. This series is being created for CBS, making it the first entry in the franchise to be developed for network television. However, this isn’t the only first that Kayce Dutton’s spinoff brings to the Yellowstone universe. This upcoming procedural is unique in one key way that could change how Yellowstone functions as it moves beyond its original series.

Kayce Dutton’s New Yellowstone Spinoff Marks a Major Franchise First

Yellowstone Is Becoming a Real Television Universe

Kayce Dutton’s new series will run concurrently with Beth and Rip’s upcoming spinoff, marking the first time in Yellowstone‘s history that two shows in the franchise have taken place in the same period. Although Yellowstone already has three individual series under its banner, each has been distinct from the others in its period. The original Yellowstone takes place in the modern day, beginning in 2018 and ending in 2024. The first spinoff, a prequel miniseries entitled 1883, takes place in the titular year, following the Duttons as they first arrive on their iconic ranch toward the end of the 19th century. The second series, 1923, again takes place in the nominal year, showing the Duttons in pre-Great Depression Montana. Now, Yellowstone‘s upcoming spinoffs are both set to take place after the events of Season 5, placing them in 2024 or 2025. While this may seem like a minor change, it will change the Yellowstone franchise forever.

By featuring two shows that take place simultaneously, Yellowstone sets up the opportunity for more crossovers between its tentpole projects. Crossovers between its previous series were nearly impossible, with only a flashback or two connecting the shows thus far. Now, fans can expect Sheridan to play around with the shared universe aspect of his franchise a bit more than he has in the past. Kayce Dutton’s spinoff will likely cross over with Beth and Rip’s series numerous times during their concurrent runs, and vice versa. These shows may also cross over with other upcoming Yellowstone spinoffs like The Madison and 6666, both of which are expected (but not confirmed) to take place in the modern day as well. This is a franchise-building technique that has been mostly impossible for Yellowstone thus far but may be a common practice in the coming years. This will change the way Yellowstone operates, as it becomes more realistic to feature connections between its various individual series.

Yellowstone Is Setting Up a Larger Television Universe

Taylor Sheridan May Be Copying Other Popular Franchises

Yellowstone‘s new direction is no accident. Taylor Sheridan seems acutely focused on developing new series that take place in the same timeframe. Though there will still be prequels, like Brandon Sklenar and Julia Schlaepfer’s 1944, other Yellowstone spinoffs like Michelle Pfeiffer’s The Madison will be set in the modern day. This will help the Yellowstone television universe grow more organically, expanding beyond the linear nature of its story so far to focus on different plot threads that sometimes converge. This comes in the wake of other majorly successful television universes, including One Chicago and the Arrowverse, which have each managed to build massive franchises consisting of multiple concurrent series.

Yellowstone‘s expanded universe should be exciting for anyone who is a fan of the original series. The new format allows some of Yellowstone‘s best characters to take the spotlight as leads of their own spinoffs while still leaving the door open for them to reunite with the rest of the cast in crossovers. This also comes just in time, as Yellowstone is getting closer to completing its centuries-long story with 1944, which will bridge the gap between the other prequels and the original series. With this phase of the franchise coming to an end, it’s time for Yellowstone to move into the future with new shows like its announced Dutton spinoffs.

What Will Kayce Dutton’s Yellowstone Spinoff Be About?

Kayce Dutton’s Spinoff Was Set Up in the Yellowstone Finale

Currently, there are no concrete plot details about Kayce Dutton’s new spinoff series. Audiences last saw Kayce in the finale of Yellowstone, where he, Monica, and their son Tate settled into East Camp, a small tract of land that was not included in the sale to Thomas Rainwater. The new series can pick up Kayce’s story after losing the Yellowstone Ranch, following him as he grapples with the idea of betraying his father’s legacy to preserve the surviving members of the Dutton family. The ranch was always meant to be passed on to Kayce and, eventually, to Tate. Knowing this, Kayce might have doubts about allowing the land to go back to Rainwater and the reservation. He will need to sort this out as he becomes the new patriarch of the Dutton family, even if he knows his father would never have agreed with his choices.

There is also a chance that the upcoming spinoff will recycle some of Kayce’s planned stories from Yellowstone‘s canceled sixth season, though it is unclear what Sheridan and his team had plotted for the character before they were forced to shorten the show’s run. Recent reports have described Kayce’s spinoff as a “procedural,” indicating that it will primarily focus on his work as Montana’s Livestock Commissioner. This would be an interesting twist for the franchise as well, indicating that the upcoming spinoff will adopt a slightly different tone from the other Yellowstone series. The show’s story may be more directly focused on Kayce’s job than the familial melodrama that fans are used to.

Even after losing its main series, the future looks bright for the Yellowstone franchise as it enters a new era. Taylor Sheridan is looking to create a true television universe built around iconic characters whom fans have grown to love over the years. Kayce is just the latest character to be confirmed to return in a spinoff, with many more potentially on the horizon as Yellowstone expands its world to new and exciting places.