1883

1883 Series Poster

***1883*** is an American Western drama television series created by Taylor Sheridan that premiered on December 19, 2021, on Paramount Plus. 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. The series consisted of ten episodes and concluded on February 27, 2022.

## Premise

The series follows the post-Civil war generation of the Dutton family as they leave Tennessee, journey to Fort Worth, Texas, and join a European immigrant wagon train undertaking the arduous journey west to Oregon, before settling in Montana to establish what would eventually become the Yellowstone Ranch.

## Characters

* Sam Elliott as Shea Brennan, an employee of the Pinkerton Agency leading the expedition. Brennan is a former captain who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. His wife Helen and daughter both die of smallpox right before the start of the expedition. While mourning their deaths, he cremated them by setting fire to their house and contemplated suicide, but was interrupted by the arrival of Thomas. Brennan acts as the rugged and commanding leader of the wagon train, frequently reminding members of the danger and tragedy that they will face along the way.
* Tim McGraw as James Dutton, great-grandfather of John Dutton. From Tennessee, he was a captain in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War and was wounded during the Battle of Antietam and captured. He was held in a Union prisoner-of-war camp for three years. A skilled leader and combatant, he joins the wagon train with his family after meeting Brennan and Thomas in Forth Worth, Texas.
* Faith Hill as Margaret Dutton, John Dutton's great-grandmother and the matriarch of the family. She travels via train from Tennessee with her children, sister-in-law, Claire, and niece, Mary Abel, to Fort Worth and begins a new journey with her husband, James.
* Isabel May as Elsa Dutton, James and Margaret Dutton's resourceful 17-year-old daughter. Much of the story is told in her voice as narrator. Young, undisciplined and innocent, she looks forward to the expedition as a great adventure. Elsa becomes hardened during the difficult journey west, also becoming enamored with a cowboy and later a Comanche warrior; much to the dismay of her parents. However, she also becomes a skilled survivalist and cowgirl.
* LaMonica Garrett as Thomas, a Pinkerton agent and veteran U.S. Army sergeant from a Buffalo Soldier regiment. He teams up with Shea Brennan to help guide the group. His arrival helps dissuade Shea from suicide. Thomas is a skilled frontiersman, and later begins a relationship with a Romani widow named Noemi.
* Marc Rissmann as Josef, a German immigrant who is married to Risa and worked as a carpenter before travelling to America. He aids 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. He is the younger child of James and Margaret and is five years old at the beginning of the journey.
* Eric Nelsen as Ennis, a young cowboy who is paid to escort the group and tend to their cattle. He develops a relationship with Elsa.
* James Landry Hébert as Wade, the lead cowboy.
* Noah Le Gros as Colton, an experienced cowboy who joins the group at the Texas-side of the Red River.

## Release

The Series premired on December 19, 2021 on Paramount Plus and air it's finale on February 27, 2022.

## 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 these 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

The same night Isabel May auditioned for that show, Sheridan decided he needed her to make *1883* work. He went on to make Paramount hire May, a relative unknown, before he was even finished writing the script, because "it won't work if we don't get her." On August 4, 2021, it was announced that Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Sam Elliott had joined the cast. A further announcement on August 21 confirmed both Isabel May and announced that LaMonica Garrett had joined the cast.

On September 10, December 6, and December 10, respectively, it was confirmed that Billy Bob Thornton, Graham Greene, and Tom Hanks had joined as guest stars.

### Filming

Filming on the series started in August 2021 in Texas and concluded in January 2022 in Montana[*citation needed*]. 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 discussed Taylor Sheridan's quest for "authenticity" concerning no cosmetics nor shaving of underarm hair. In *Town & Country*, 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."