1883 (Yellowstone)

***1883*** is an American drama television series created by Taylor Sheridan that premiered on December 19, 2021, on Paramount+. The series stars Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sam Elliott, Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett, Marc Rissmann, Audie Rick, Eric Nelsen and James Landry Hébert. The series is a prequel to Sheridan's series *Yellowstone* and follows the story of how the Duttons came to own the land that would become the Yellowstone Ranch.

## Premise

The series follows a previous generation of the Dutton family as they journey from Ft. Worth, Texas to Montana to establish what would eventually become the Yellowstone Ranch.

## Cast and characters

### Main

* Sam Elliott as Shea Brennan, in the employ of the Pinkerton Agency in leading the expedition. He was the captain of a "Buffalo Soldier" regiment during the American Civil War. Brennan’s wife Helen and daughter both die of Smallpox right before the start of the expedition. While mourning their deaths, he set fire to their home and contemplated suicide, but was interrupted by the arrival of Thomas. His new goal is to see the virgin frontier one final time before it’s spoiled by man, in which afterwards he will be finished with living
* Tim McGraw as James Dutton, John Dutton's great-grandfather. Former officer in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War, and wounded during the Battle of Antietam. He was held in a Union prisoner-of-war camp for three years. His daughter Elsa states that his experiences changed him. He never spoke of his hardships during the war, and would avoid former comrades and brothers-in-arms. After a series of mishaps in Ft. Worth, he decides to join the caravan
* Faith Hill as Margaret Dutton, John Dutton's great-grandmother and the matriarch of the family
* Isabel May as Elsa Dutton, James and Margaret Dutton's 17-year old daughter and oldest child. The start of the expedition occurs on her birthday as it has been eighteen years since the end of the Civil War. Much of the story is told in her voice through the narration of her journals. Young, undisciplined and innocent, she looks forward to the expedition as a great adventure. Her parents James and Margaret argue in her upbringing, as to if she should be a strong independent woman, or gentle and ladylike respectively
* LaMonica Garrett as Thomas, a Pinkerton agent and veteran in a "Buffalo Soldier" regiment during the American Civil War. He teams up with Shea Brennan, the former captain in his regiment, to help guide the group from Texas to Montana. His arrival helps dissuade Shea from ending his life, after losing his family to Smallpox
* Marc Rissmann as Josef, a European immigrant, who is married to Risa. He aids in the expedition serving as an interpreter for his group and as a liaison between the Americans and immigrants
* Audie Rick as John Dutton Sr., John Dutton's grandfather, as a young boy
* Eric Nelsen as Ennis, a young, handsome cowboy who agrees to help escort a group of inexperienced men, women, and children north to find a home
* James Landry Hébert as Wade, a young cowboy who finds himself as part of a crew for a caravan of hopeful travelers making their way north for a better life

### Recurring

* Billy Bob Thornton as Marshal Jim Courtright
* Alex Fine as Grady, an experienced cowboy and the leader of a crew of six drovers, who agrees to help an inexperienced crew round up longhorns for their long journey
* Gratiela Brancusi as Noemi, a widow who recently lost her husband and has to raise two young boys on her own
* Anna Fiamora as Risa, a young immigrant woman who is married to Josef and joins the traveling camp to move west
* Nichole Galicia as Guinevere, a prostitute who works in Fort Worth, Texas
* Stephanie Nur as Melodi, a beguiling prostitute who works at the saloon
* Amanda Jaros as Alina, a weary but hopeful immigrant woman who speaks little English but has much resolve
* Noah Le Gros as Colton, a young cowboy in the wagon camp who knows the ropes and has some smart insights about the dangers of their journey
* Martin Sensmeier as Sam, a Comanche warrior (Sensmeier previously appeared in *Yellowstone* as Martin, Monica Dutton's physical therapist)

### Guest stars

* Tom Hanks as General George Meade (Behind Us, a Cliff)
* Graham Greene as Spotted Eagle
* Dawn Olivieri as Claire Dutton, a fierce, practical, and sharp widow. They join her brother, James, on a trip to find a new home
* Emma Malouff as Mary Abel, Claire's daughter

## Production

### Development

In February 2021, Taylor Sheridan signed a five-year deal with ViacomCBS and MTV Entertainment Group following the success of *Yellowstone*. Under the deal, he would create new series for both studios. One of this was *Y: 1883*, a prequel to *Yellowstone*, set to be broadcast on Paramount+. Sheridan said that he struggled with writer's block after selling the concept to Paramount+, but he managed to overcome it while working on another series, *Mayor of Kingstown*.

### Casting

On August 4, 2021, it was announced that Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Sam Elliott had joined the cast. A further announcement on August 21st confirmed both Isabel May and LaMonica Garrett had joined the cast. On September 10, it was confirmed that Billy Bob Thornton had joined as a guest star.  Graham Greene was confirmed on December 6 to play the role of Spotted Eagle. and on December 10th, Tom Hanks was announced as having a cameo in the second episode of the series playing General George Meade.

### Filming

Filming on the series started in August 2021 in Texas and is expected to continue until January 2022 in Montana. Many actors expressed discomfort at the cold temperatures while filming in Montana. Star Faith Hill deemed filming as "the most physically and mentally challenging thing we have ever done." Star Sam Elliott also expressed that filming his scenes was difficult, but "we're getting it onscreen, and in the end that's what matters. This is really going to be something special."

Isabel May has alluded to Taylor Sheridan's quest for "authenticity" concerning no cosmetics nor shaving of underarm hair. In *Town&Country* magazine, May emphasized, "Taylor said from the very beginning, 'I want everything to be authentic.' I mean, women didn't start shaving until the 1920s. He really wanted that to be an aspect of the show, and so I was more than happy to oblige."

### Music

The series' score was composed by Brian Tyler and Breton Vivian, both of whom worked on *Yellowstone*.

## Release

On November 8, 2021, a first-look trailer for the series was released; a full trailer was released on December 3. The series will make its TV premiere on December 25, 2021 on CMT. The first episode was run on Paramount Network, who ordered the show before they moved it to streaming on sister platform Paramount+ during its development, as part of promoting the show, like they did with *Mayor of Kingstown*.

## Reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 85% based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "*1883* can feel too overdetermined to be a properly rough-hewn Western, but viewers will want to saddle up for Sam Elliott's commanding star turn." Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 69 out of 100 based on 12 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘1883’ To Star Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill". *Deadline Hollywood* (August 4, 2021).
2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 "Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘1883’ Announces Full Cast Ahead Of December Premiere". *Deadline Hollywood* (November 18, 2021).
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Billy Bob Thornton Joins Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘1883’" (September 10, 2021).
4. ↑ "Tom Hanks Enlists To Help Tim McGraw Battle Of Antietam Flashback In Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘1883’" (December 10, 2021).
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "'1883' Casts 'Dances With Wolves' Actor Graham Greene in Pivotal Role". *Outsider* (December 6, 2021).
6. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (February 5, 2021). "‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘Y: 1883’ Set For Paramount+ Under Mega New Taylor Sheridan Overall Deal With ViacomCBS & MTV Entertainment". *Deadline Hollywood*.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Murray, Noel (December 16, 2021). "‘Yellowstone’ Gets a Prequel in ‘1883,’ but It Wasn’t Easy". *The New York Times*.
8. ↑ "‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘1883’ Underway: Isabel May & LaMonica Garrett Join Cast As Paramount+ Builds A Taylor Sheridan Universe" (August 24, 2021).
9. ↑ "1883's Isabel May Opens Up About the Yellowstone Prequel". *Town&Country*.
10. ↑ "1883 - First Look Teaser Promo". *Youtube* (November 8, 2021).
11. ↑  Twitter Trailer
12. ↑ "1883: Season 1 (2021)". *Rotten Tomatoes*.
13. ↑ "1883: Get Back Reviews". Metacritic.

## External links

* Official website
* 1883 (Yellowstone) on IMDb
* Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1883\_(TV\_series)