The decision to set the next Yellowstone prequel in 1923 instead of 1932 makes the next installment in the increasingly successful TV show even more exciting. The Dutton family has owned Yellowstone Dutton Ranch for seven generations, meaning the show’s creator, Taylor Sheridan, has his pick of various eras of family history to explore. While picking up in 1932 during the Great Depression as originally intended would give the family plenty to contend with, having them face bootleggers during prohibition and experience the Roaring Twenties in Montana sounds way better.
Paramount+ recently announced the casting of Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren for what was originally 1932, with the heavyweight actors delving into the rich past of the Dutton family and their hold on the largest cattle ranch in the United States. If the series had remained 1932 and not 1923 the family would've been three years into the Great Depression, a major economic crash that saw unemployment sky-rocket. The situation was exacerbated in Montana by severe drought and the collapse of many industries, including cattle ranching. However, the show will explore the era of prohibition and post-War excess instead.
The Great Depression has proven to be a great narrative vein to tap into, similar to how the 19th-century frontier was a great backdrop for the Duttons in 1883. Shows like Perry Mason and Mildred Pierce have found great success, and films like Miller’s Crossing and Cinderella Man prove that the era has an audience. The time period has frequently been represented in either New York or other major U.S. cities like Chicago and Los Angeles. The prohibition era is often explored through its impact on major cities as well. Having the showrunners explore the Dutton family history during a time in Western America’s history not often seen on TV, instead of going for the original plan of 1932, makes the next installment in the series sound much more interesting.
The Duttons will be facing new families and factions in 1923. Prohibition in Montana was notable because it was the first state to introduce a ban on alcohol, while also being the first state to repeal the law in 1926. Speakeasies were popular and the rich and powerful had easy access to illegal stores of booze, while bootleggers ran routes across the state. Additionally, Montana in 1923 was not an easy place to run a cattle ranch. The Duttons will be contending with overworked land and workers migrating to the coast. While the Roaring Twenties always seem to be displayed as a time of excess and razzle-dazzle, for many people in states like Montana, it was a difficult time to be alive.
After initially tepid reviews, Sheridan has developed one of the best-reviewed shows on TV and is now gearing up for Yellowstone season 5. He has drawn commanding performances out of esteemed actors in a generation-spanning family epic and hype for 1923 is high. With 1883 fleshing out how the Duttons got Yellowstone Ranch, 1923 will be well placed to explain how the family held on to the ranch during a turbulent time in American history. And not only that, Yellowstone will have the opportunity to explore the 20s in a way not seen on TV before. While 1932 would’ve no doubt been successful, setting the latest Yellowstone in 1923 was the better choice.