‘Yellowstone’ Prequel Series ‘1923’ to Premiere on Paramount+ on Dec. 18; Series Stars Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren
Grab your saddle blankets and cowboy boots, and get ready to journey back to “1923.” The new, highly-anticipated prequel series to the Taylor Sheridan-created “Yellowstone” is coming exclusively to streaming on Sunday, Dec. 18 on Paramount+.
“1923” is the next installment of the “Yellowstone” origin story, and introduces a new generation of the Dutton clan. Led by Academy Award nominee Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton and Academy Award winner Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton, the series will explore the early 20th century when pandemics, historic drought, the end of Prohibition, and the Great Depression all plagued the mountain west — and the Duttons who call it home.
The series is the newest member of the expanding family of shows known as the “Sheridan-Verse.” That growth came as a consequence of the performance of “Yellowstone,” which has become one of the most beloved shows on television since its 2018 debut.
The audience for “Yellowstone” has increased every year since the show’s debut, and the first prequel series it spawned “1883” was the most-watched premiere in Paramount+ history when it was launched in December 2021.
Yellowstone
Follow the violent world of the Dutton family, who controls the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. Led by their patriarch John Dutton, the family defends their property against constant attack by land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first National Park.
Paramount is continuing to expand the franchise with several shows. Not only is “1923” set to debut on Dec. 18, but the studio also announced earlier this year that spin-off “6666” would be rolled out on the linear channel Paramount Network, instead of on the company’s streamer, as was originally intended.
The franchise has become a powerful asset for Paramount. The popularity of “Yellowstone” was a big factor in convincing Walmart that Paramount+ was a good cultural fit to bundle with its Walmart+ subscription service. Walmart executives felt that Paramount+ viewers and Walmart viewers had overlapping values, in large part because they enjoyed “Yellowstone” to such a high degree.
One of the biggest regrets that Paramount executives had surrounding the launch of Paramount+ (originally called CBS All Access) was that they did not keep the streaming rights to “Yellowstone” in-house. Even though the series debuted on CBS years before the streamer launched, NBCUniversal’s Peacock made the show’s streaming rights a cornerstone of its service. Paramount execs view it as a major mistake, and one they won't repeat again in the future.
In addition to “Yellowstone” and its prequel series, Paramount+ will also be the home of the upcoming “Tulsa King,” “Lioness,” “Bass Reeves, and “Land Man” series all from Sheridan. They will join the autor’s “Mayor of Kingstown” which also streams on the service.
Earlier this month, AMC Theaters announced that fans could watch the season premieres of “Yellowstone” and “Tulsa King” two weeks before their cable and streaming premieres this Saturday, Oct. 29.
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and more. The lineup includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.