Taylor Sheridan’s Landman, 1923 & Yellowstone Crossover Flew Under Everyone’s Radar

Ever since Taylor Sheridan began expanding his overall filmography with essential television shows like Yellowstone, 1883, and Landman, audiences everywhere have been discovering exactly what kind of filmmaker and storyteller he is. While his favorite genre is clear, he also has an exceptional way of portraying the world and specific viewpoints that keep every new series interesting. Furthermore, some of his best work has come out in just the last two years. When Yellowstone came to an end, it felt like the stylish Western prequels, 1883 and 1923, were Sheridan at his best, while many still yearned for his compelling contemporary Westerns to return. Fans got what they wanted when Landman was released in 2024, and it swept audiences by storm in the same way that Yellowstone did. Sheridan says something unique in each show, but they all have something in common. This includes one of Sheridan’s favorite uses of symbolism that many fans might have missed.

Yellowstone, 1923 and Landman Share A Connecting Element Of Symbolism

Image via Paramount+

While it’s not at all surprising that three of Taylor Sheridan’s most popular shows have things in common, there’s a more direct thread between them that fans would have to think about more deeply to even realize. The greatest commonality between Yellowstone, 1923, and Landman is their Western setting. Yellowstone and 1923 (along with 1883) obviously have even more in common because they are based on the same family. However, Landman has begun to feel like another profound version of Yellowstone for fans, as Sheridan has made another distinct contemporary Western about unique situations. In Yellowstone, there was a lot of depth to how the ranching empires of America exist in the modern day, specifically focusing on the encroaching modernity all around them as their lifestyle is threatened. In Landman, Sheridan turns his attention to oil companies and oil laborers who have an incredible presence and power in parts of Southwest America. From this comes a specific cultural element that derives from what “landmen” do in places like Texas. A lot of this is explored in great detail, providing audiences with a distinct contemporary Western that looks much different from the Old West.

In a lot of ways, Landman has become Sheridan’s crowning jewel because it is such a specific kind of landscape explored and a story being told. However, there’s something special about everything Sheridan has done over the last decade-plus (even on the big screen). What he seems to always do with the stories he tells is explore complex characters and intricate familial dynamics. From this comes specific character arcs for each character, which involve exploring them and their surroundings in deeper, more transcendent ways. A lot of this is Sheridan putting his own experiences, thoughts, and beliefs into the show, but there’s a lot of substance in doing this. This includes exploring the philosophical, political, and spiritual sides of every character. Then Sheridan gets to play with things metaphorically and symbolically. Symbolism in particular is a powerful tool in Sheridan’s wheelhouse, and one piece of symbolism is something he utilizes often. Animals and nature are a big part of the West, which is why it should come as no surprise that Sheridan has used a wolf (or coyote) as a symbolic representation on more than one occasion. Wolves have subtly connected Yellowstone, 1923, and Landman as each series has contained a version of the animal at one point or another. In Yellowstone, wolves show up a few times, but most famously when Kayce Dutton keeps seeing a wolf that lingers near him at random times.

In 1923, a wolf shows up on the Dutton ranch in season 2 and attacks not only the livestock but the Duttons themselves. In Landman, wolves (or it could be coyotes) show up in the first and last episode of Season 2 while Tommy Norris is contemplating an intense moment or moments from his day. This has become a trend for Sheridan at this point in his epic run of great television, and each time there is a specific reason why he’s using this symbolism.

The Symbol Of the Wolf Means Something Different In Each Western Series

Image via Paramount+

It feels like every season of Sheridan’s shows offers a lot for audiences to think about or enjoy. Whether ramping up the tension or unpacking the drama, so much happens in Yellowstone, 1883, 1923, Mayor of Kingstown, Landman, and all the epic drama series that Sheridan has crafted. The characters change and so do the circumstances, and Sheridan has always known how to construct the arc of a season. In the midst of intense action or resonant drama are small, subtle elements that heighten what Sheridan is trying to say or what the characters might be going through.

In the case of the wolf, it is a symbol, and it comes up multiple times to say both something specific about the landscape and something profound about the arcs of the characters. Some of Sheridan’s most famous characters have encountered wolves, and each time Sheridan decides to use a wolf in a scene, it has a distinct meaning that is specific to the character in the scene. Every time a wolf has shown up, the symbolism has meant something different, although there are overarching interpretations to be had. Most prominently, a wolf shows up in Yellowstone when Kayce Dutton notices one wandering around his home. Kayce realizes that this wolf is trying to tell him something and actually goes on a spiritual journey to try to figure it out. What he discovers is that the wolf is his spirit animal, and it’s trying to tell him that he has to change for the sake of his entire family. Everything hinges on the decisions he will make, and the wolf acts as a warning that he might be on the wrong path. A wolf also appears in the Yellowstone prequel, 1923, but it comes in a different, more aggressive form.

After destroying the chicken coupe and attacking Elizabeth, it later breaks into the Dutton home and kills a nurse who was staying with them to help treat Elizabeth’s wounds from the attack. In this small multi-episode arc, the wolf represents the impending danger that is about to befall the Duttons if things don’t change (and if Spencer doesn’t make it home). There are enemies all around the Duttons in season two, and they come very close to defeating the Dutton Family. That wolf was as dangerous a form as it could have come in, and it was symbolic of how dangerous the family’s enemies truly were in that second and final season. This is not uncommon in Yellowstone shows, as wolves always appear as warnings that enemies are closing in, and that has become an effective overarching element of the Dutton storyline. A wolf-like symbol also appears in Landman when a coyote is shot right in front of Tommy at the beginning of Season 2, while outside his home, staring in the distance. Tommy later sees another coyote in the final moments of Season 2, after having just changed the fate of his family’s future. It’s a little less clear what this could mean, but it’s possible the coyote is representing the right kind of change for the Norris family. This is heightened by the fact that the previous coyote was killed, probably foreshadowing that there was a path Tommy was on that he had to “kill” to get on the right one.

Fans Can Probably Expect Wolves to Show Up In Multiple Upcoming Sheridan Series