Since 2018, the Yellowstone franchise has been one of the most popular TV franchises. In a few short years, we’ve seen five seasons of Yellowstone and two spinoffs. One of those spinoffs, 1923, just wrapped up its second season in 2025, and there are even more Yellowstone shows in the works.
At the time of publishing, there’s at least three Yellowstone shows officially in development all from series creator Taylor Sheridan, including 1944, The Madison starring Michelle Pfiefer, and the potential spinoff that continues the major Yellowstone arc with Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler. 6666, which was ordered years ago, is also in the works, too. So, that makes four Yellowstone shows that could be something in the next few years.
After watching 1883, 1923, and Yellowstone, I ranked the three Yellowstone shows so far from worst to best. Thankfully, it wasn’t too challenging. There are definitely tiers to these shows!
3. 1883
1883 is a tough one for me! There’s no doubt this is a great show, but it’s much less my cup of tea than the other Yellowstone shows, if that makes sense. As we all know by now, 1883 explores the origins of the Dutton family and their journey West. This was obviously a brutal part of American history, and 1883 puts all of that brutality on display.
Sam Elliott is a huge reason why 1883 was so successful, but the actor, who will be starring in season 2 of Sheridan’s Landman, is far from the only draw. Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Isabel May, and LaMonica Garrett are also fantastic in this series.
Even though it ranks No. 3 on the list of Yellowstone shows, 1883 is not a bad show. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Westerns.
Where to watch: Paramount+
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
Seasons: 1
Created by Taylor Sheridan
Cast: Sam Elliott, Faith Hill, Isabel May, Tim McGraw, LaMonica Garrett, Marc Rissman, Noah Le Gos, James Landry Hebert, Audie Rick, Eric Nelson, and more
2. 1923
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The only reason 1923 isn’t as good as Yellowstone is that it doesn’t have nearly enough episodes at this point to really compete with the depth of Yellowstone. Episode for episode, this show is just as good a Yellowstone. The story is a little bit slower in my opinion.
There’s a little bit less going on at times, but this cast is as good as any on TV right now. You just don’t see this many big stars in a show like this very often. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren are icons, and there’s probably no bigger up-and-coming star than Brandon Sklenar right now.
1923 continues the Dutton’s story and bridges the gap between 1883 and 1944, the next Yellowstone prequel that fans of the franchise will be waiting very impatiently to see.
If we had three or four more seasons of this show, I don’t think there’s any doubt this show would be better than Yellowstone. But, we know that’s not going to happen, so it’s easy to see why Yellowstone is the best of the three shows we’ve seen so far.
Where to watch: Paramount+
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Seasons: 2
Created by Taylor Sheridan
Cast: Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Brandon Sklenar, Robert Patrick, Timothy Dalton, Julia Schlaepfer, Jerome Flynn, Darren Mann, Isabel May, Michelle Randolph, Amibah Nieves, Brian Geraghty, and more
1. Yellowstone
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Yellowstone | Paramount
There’s just no way you can rank any of the other Yellowstone shows that we’ve seen so far above Yellowstone. Does the show have some flaws? Of course. Did the drama behind the scenes overshadow the story? In some respects, yes. Would it have been better if Kevin Costner was in the show until the end? The show started with him, and it should have ended with him. Bygones be bygones, you know?
Yellowstone stars Kevin Costner, Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, Luke Grimes, and Wes Bentley. The series tells the story of the Dutton family, led by John Dutton, as they try to advance their business interests in the ever-changing yet always the same, Western United States. The series premiered on the Paramount Network in 2018 and ran for five seasons and 53 episodes on the network. There was a huge surge in popularity as the show became more available on streaming services like Peacock.
Yellowstone is the show that launched Taylor Sheridan’s empire. It’s paved the way to everything we’ve seen so far and everything that will happen in the future. I don’t think I’m overstating the significance of this show. It opened the eyes of executives, and it sure seems to be paying off.
Where to watch: Peacock
Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%
Seasons: 5
Created by Taylor Sheridan
Cast: Kevin Costner, Kelly Reilly, Luke Grimes, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Danny Huston, Brecken Merrill, Ian Bohen, Kelsey Asbille, Jefferson White, Gil Birmingham, Forrie J. Smith, Denim Richards, and more