It’s been silent for almost two years, but the Yellowstone TV universe dropped two new titles in March: Marshals (which premiered March 1 on CBS and has already been renewed) and The Madison (premiering March 14 on Paramount+, and also already renewed).
Creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan’s newest hit, Landman, stole the hype thunder during Yellowstone’s downtime, but Kevin Costner walked so Billy Bob Thornton could, well, not run, but amble about grumpily.
Here’s a guide to navigating the Yellowstone-verse for newbies.
Yellowstone (2018-2024; Peacock): The one that started it all, a modern-day Western with all the trappings of classic soap operas like Dallas, cross-bred with America-first tough-guy attitude and a lived-in perspective from life on the ranch. John Dutton (Kevin Costner) grounded Yellowstone’s over-the-top violence and familial toxicity with grit and gravitas until Costner quit in the middle of the final season, leaving the show to spin out in a stilted, anticlimactic ending. It was (mostly) fun while it lasted, but Yellowstone is dead—in name, at least.
1883 (2021-2022; Paramount+): Yellowstone prequel series 1883 traces the origins of the Yellowstone Ranch, following the Dutton family’s trek to settle in the Old West. James (played by Tim McGraw) and Margaret (Faith Hill, McGraw’s country royalty wife) Dutton were introduced as the great-grandparents of Costner’s John, but that stunt casting was overshadowed by 1883’s brutally realistic depiction of settler life. Sheridan alert: Future Landman stars Billy Bob Thornton and Sam Elliott also appear in 1883.
1923 (2022-2025; Paramount+): Western living was a little easier in 1923; all Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren) had to deal with were Prohibition, drought and the beginning of the Great Depression. Despite the grim setting, 1923 debuted big on Paramount+, which almost made up for Paramount shortsightedly selling Yellowstone’s streaming rights to Peacock years before—almost. Thanks to the ratings and star performances of Ford and Mirren, 1923 ran for two seasons instead of the originally expected one.
Marshals (2026; CBS, Paramount+): Yellowstone spinoff Marshals, with new episodes on Sundays on CBS, follows John’s son Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) as a Montana-based U.S. marshal. Since Marshals is a CBS broadcast show instead of a cable or streaming series, it looks and feels more like Fire Country, Tracker or any other interchangeable rural CBS procedural. As such, it’s probably not going to add much to the Yellowstone mythos, and Marshals already pre-angered franchise fans with the notable absence of a beloved Kayce-attached character. Not cool.
The Madison (premieres March 14, 2026; Paramount+): Actually, The Madison is only connected to Yellowstone by geography: It’s set in Montana’s Madison River Valley, whereas Yellowstone was set in Paradise Valley. (Ever been to Montana? It’s more than big enough for several shows.) Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell star as the Clyburns, heads of a New York City family who moved out West to get some distance from a recent tragedy. Hopefully, the city-slicker-in-the-country vibe will be more nuanced than that of Sheridan’s Tulsa King.
The Dutton Ranch (TBA 2026): Of all these series, The Dutton Ranch is the most direct sequel, so much so that it would have been labeled as the sixth season of Yellowstone if Peacock wasn’t contractually owed a piece. The Dutton Ranch is centered on the fan-favorite power couple of Yellowstone, brooding cowboy Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) and volatile wildcard Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly). Rip and Beth have dysfunctional-duo competition in Landman’s Tommy (Thornton) and Angela (Ali Larter), which just begs for a Montana-to-Texas crossover episode.
6666 (TBA): Way back in 2021, it was announced that Yellowstone ranch hand Jimmy Hurdstrom (Jefferson White), who’d just been relocated from Dutton turf to Texas’ Four Sixes Ranch, would get his own spinoff series. Nothing much has developed since, except for Sheridan using his new piles of Paramount bucks to buy the actual 6666 Ranch in 2022. Too bad, because a triple Landman-Dutton Ranch-6666 crossover would melt the internet (in a good way).
1944 (TBA): Not much is known about the third planned Yellowstone prequel, 1944, other than it’ll take place during World War II and could involve characters from the 1923 series—including a young John Dutton. There’s reportedly also a 1960s Yellowstone prequel in the works, but are we ready for Sheridan’s conservatively creative take on Vietnam and hippies? Maybe just leave this one on the backburner.