Taylor Sheridan’s television universe that started with the Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone” is seemingly ever-expanding. “Yellowstone” first aired in 2018; with four seasons now under his belt, Sheridan has partially turned his attention to fleshing out the series’ world with three spin-off series: “1883” and upcoming “1932” serve as prequels to the original show, while the in-the-works “6666” will expand the present-day world of “Yellowstone” beyond the Dutton ranch.
“1883,” Sheridan’s first prequel project, started airing on Paramount+ in December 2021 and follows the Dutton family’s late-19th-century ancestors as they travel west to the eventual Yellowstone Dutton Ranch in Montana. Sheridan made sure to match the star power of “Yellowstone” with the prequel series, too: Veteran actor Sam Elliott plays a former Union Army captain who agrees to travel west with Dutton family pioneers James (Tim McGraw) and Margaret (Faith Hill), as well as their teenage daughter Elsa (Isabel May). Despite the involvement of significant country music stars in McGraw and Hill, it’s May’s character whose experience “1883” often follows most closely. Elsa narrates the 10-episode series, capturing relationships between Americans, European immigrants, and indigenous peoples on the trails west in a post-Civil War United States.
Paramount+ and Sheridan’s faith in May and the rest of the “1883” cast paid off; the streaming service recently awarded the series 15 more episodes (via THR), and even Elliott is praising his young co-star for all of her many contributions to the first season’s success.
Sam Elliott says Isabel May could have a long career in Hollywood