Don’t Start with Season 1! Here’s How to Watch the ‘Yellowstone’ Franchise in the Best Possible Order

No matter which order you watch it in, one thing is for sure—you must be ready to binge

If you are a Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone franchise fan, you’ve probably wondered which order you should watch all of the shows in. Between all of the prequels, spinoffs and the original, it can be a lot.

For some, the best way to watch it is in release order—Yellowstone, 1883, and 1923. For others, like us, we recommend doing it chronologically, which would be 1883, 1923, and then Yellowstone. We explain why, including how the projects currently in pre-production connect to the timeline.

‘1883’

1883 was the first-ever Yellowstone prequel to be released. It follows James and Margaret Dutton (Tim McGraw and Faith Hill) as they travel from Texas to Montana, hoping to start their life over.

Not only does the show kick off the beginning of Dutton’s life in Montana, but it also has several moments that serve as Easter Eggs in future shows—including the late Elsa Dutton’s (Isabel May) voiceovers.

‘1923’

Several of the characters in 1923 are referenced in 1883, so it only makes sense to watch this next. These include James’s brother Jacob (Harrison Ford) and his two sons, John (James Badge Dale) and Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar).

In the show, Jacob deals with taking over the ranch from his late brother and working with his nephew, John. 1923 also introduces several members of the next generation of Duttons, including Jack (Darren Mann) and Elizabeth Dutton (Michelle Randolph), and Spencer and Alex Dutton (Julia Schlaepfer). Both couples are expecting, and it is unclear how these children will affect the Dutton family tree going forward; however, in the 1923 finale, we do learn that Alex names her son John, meaning that he could be John Dutton II.

‘1944’

While the plot, cast and release date of 1944 haven’t been announced yet, we recommend watching it after 1923 since it is expected to follow the Duttons in 1944 Montana. Many people believe that this means we will see Jack and Elizabeth’s child and/or Spencer and Alex’s as they deal with living on the ranch, but since Sheridan is known for doing the unexpected, that could change.

‘Yellowstone’

Yellowstone might have been the show that started it all, but when it comes to binging the franchise, we think watching it fourth makes the most sense because if you don’t, you might not understand all of the references from the shows that came before it.

The plot follows John Dutton III (Kevin Costner) and his family as they manage the largest contiguous ranch in the United States, despite all of the political problems and life-threatening enemies that seem to come their way. It was nominated for an Emmy and ran from 2018 to 2024.

The Beth and Rip spin-off

Now, truth be told, with these spinoff shows that haven’t aired yet, it’s hard to tell where exactly they will fall on the Yellowstone timeline. However, based on our current knowledge of the shows and our personal excitement, we have made our best guess—starting with Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler’s (Cole Hauser) spin-off, which will reportedly follow the couple on their new 7,000-acre ranch.

Originally, this show was supposed to be the plot for season 6 of Yellowstone, but then Paramount decided that it would be better off as its own project.

The Kayce Dutton spin-off

Also taking place after the events of Yellowstone is John Dutton III’s youngest son Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) spin-off.  The details of this show are currently unclear, but it will most likely showcase his life after he sold the Dutton Yellowstone Ranch to Chief Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and the Broken Rock Reservation for $1.25 an acre—which is exactly what the original Montana Dutton’s bought the land for way back in 1883.

Either way, as long as it features Kayce’s loveable personality and unmatched strength, it will surely be a must-watch.