March 14, 2025, 9:08 am | Read time: 4 minutes
If you want to watch a current Western series today, you can hardly avoid the “Yellowstone” universe. Part of it can currently be seen on Netflix, and it is a great success for the streaming service. Nevertheless, the best-rated series in the franchise is not getting a sequel. Why is that? TECHBOOK explains the details.
In addition to numerous in-house productions, licensed titles are also very successful on Netflix. A current example of this is the series 1883, which has been available on the streaming service since March 12. There was immediate enthusiasm — after all, it is one of the most successful and best-rated Western series of this century. The assumption of a sequel is, therefore, obvious. So what about 1883 season 2?
The Huge Success of “Yellowstone”
1883 is a prequel spin-off of the equally acclaimed series Yellowstone, i.e., a serial spin-off that tells the prequel to the main series. With 1923, there is even another spin-off, whereby the titles are always also a time reference, while Yellowstone is set in the present day. In terms of content, all series revolve around the Dutton family and their farm in Montana.
In particular, 1883 tells the direct story of the farm’s founding. The series revolves around a settler train that is actually on its way to Oregon and includes the Dutton family — represented by James, Margaret, and their daughter Elsa. If you look at relevant rating platforms such as IMDb, all the series in the franchise have received very good ratings so far. However, 1883 comes out on top with a rating of 8.7. This also makes it the best-rated Western series of the past decades.
Yellowstone itself has been available on Netflix since the beginning of 2024. This has further increased the fanbase in Germany. Previously, the series was only available in Germany on the much less popular streaming service Paramount+. And this is also the reason why there is some confusion about a possible second season of 1883.
Confusion About Season 2 of “1883”
Following the enormous success of 1883 in 2022, Paramount+ immediately announced further episodes. However, they had apparently not consulted with series creator Taylor Sheridan beforehand. The American is considered the mastermind behind the franchise, having written the screenplay for all three series released to date. He also acted as director for 1883 and briefly appeared in the series himself.
Sheridan conceived 1883 from the outset as a self-contained mini-series with ten episodes. This in itself does not rule out a sequel, as Shogun recently showed. The series was planned and released as a self-contained mini-series comprising one season. Due to its enormous success, however, it is now being extended. With 1883, however, this is completely out of the question. Why is that?
“1883” Will Not Get a Second Season
On the one hand, series creator Sheridan has already clearly rejected a second season of 1883 several times. On the other hand, it is not easily possible in terms of content. This is because (warning, spoilers!) some important characters are dead at the end of the ten episodes, which leads to an emotional finale and, not least, the founding of the Yellowstone farm in Montana.
According to Deadline, Paramount+ announced another season without being aware of this ending. The industry magazine quotes Sheridan, among others: “From what I’ve heard, Bob Bakish [CEO of Paramount, editor’s note] saw the finale and said, ‘Wait a minute, she’s dying! They all die? What are we doing in season 2?’ I said there’s no season two.”
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The Saga Continues
However, due to Paramount’s announcement at the time, the rumor of a sequel to 1883 persists to this day. With 1923, the series has at least indirectly received this. The new mini-series started just under a year later and has a great cast with stars such as Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford.
In addition, the 2023 series Lawmen: Bass Reeves is, in turn, a spin-off of 1883. Both series are currently only available on Paramount+. However, after the excellent viewing figures that Netflix has achieved with Yellowstone and 1883, the streaming service is also likely to make an effort with the other series in the franchise.