‘Yellowstone’ Origin Story ‘1883’ Is The Western We All Need Right Now – The Federalist

If youre not already watching Yellowstone on Paramount Network, then youre missing out on the best show on television. Its The Godfather in Montana, starring Kevin Costner in his best role since Dancing with Wolves. Now, from Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan, comes the origin story of the Dutton Ranch in 1883, which debuted after Costners latest this week and continues on the new Paramount+ streaming service.

Its easy to forget in these modern days, sitting in our air-conditioned homes, 60-inch OLED hanging on the wall and super-computer in hand, that America was once wild, free, and available to those with the stones to take it. The road West was long, but millions upon millions of Americans, some newly arrived on these shores, some just looking for a better life or a chance to start over again, took that long and dangerous journey to find themselves a plot of land to call their very own.

In 1883, Taylor Sheridan shows us what that journey is like for a family we know, the Duttons. Of course, the Duttons we have grown to know over four seasons of Yellowstone are the descendants of these brave pioneers, but they have the same fiery, success-at-any-cost spirit, and thats what makes them fun to watch.

Leading this generation of the Dutton family is Tim McGraw as James. When we first see James, hes being chased by thieves trying to steal his horses and wagon. Through some sly horsemanship and deadeye shooting, Dutton kills them all. Looking on is the other main character of this first episode, Sam Elliott as Shea Brennan, a Pinkerton detective hired to get a group of immigrant pioneers to Oregon. Elliott is the glue of this cast, at least so far. Hes a criminally under-appreciated star and the authenticity of this performance drips in the sweat off of his serious silver stache.

1883 starts us off in Texas, in the wild cowboy town of Fort Worth. Today its part of the DFW metroplex, one of Americas fastest-growing cities and home to Horned Frogs, corporate headquarters, and more Chevy Suburbans than horses, but it still has a bit of the wild cow town spirit we see in this episode.

The scene-stealer of this first episode also serves as our occasional narrator, Duttons daughter Elsa, played by Isabel May. From what weve seen so far, the rattlesnakes and thieves should be scared of her, because shes certainly not scared of them. At one point Elsa is assaulted by a rotund drunk man who stumbles into her bed. She fights him off long enough for her father to blow his head off. Apparently Beth Dutton wasnt the first firecracker in the Dutton family.

By the end of the first episode, we see the Duttons and Elliotts large crew of German immigrants in a long wagon train evocative of the storybook tales we read as children. Somehow though, this show seems like it will illustrate the darker side of that journey. Died of dysentery may have been a bad way to lose Oregon Trail on your Apple IIe during computer class, but for these pioneers it was a true threat.

From the teases Ive seen of upcoming episodes, the Duttons will face every manner of challenge on their way to what will become the Yellowstone Ranch we know and love. Everything from the wilds of nature, to Indians who wanted the scalps of pioneers as trophies, to disease and malnutrition will look to keep these brave folks from reaching the promised land. You can bet Ill be there for every minute.

This is the western we all need right now to remind us how the West was won, and how the brave souls who embarked on a long, dangerous journey into the unknown helped give us the America we have today. Freedom isnt free, and it didnt spring up all of sudden in a trendy Brooklyn diner with avocado toast and a Tesla. 1883 reminds us that without the efforts of real pioneers, who risked life and limb to trudge across the great plains, none of what we enjoy today would be here. This is the story of America, and you shouldnt miss it.

Brad Jackson is a writer and radio personality whose work has appeared at ABC, CBS, Fox News, and multiple radio programs. He was the longtime host and producer of Coffee & Markets, an award-winning podcast and radio show with more than 1500 episodes. Guests included politicians, Wall Street experts, best-selling author Brad Thor, economist Art Laffer, journalists Michael Barone, Jim Pethokoukis and Andrew Malcolm, as well as Super Bowl-winning quarterback Drew Brees. Brad covers all things edible and cultural for The Federalist. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram at @bradwjackson.

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'Yellowstone' Origin Story '1883' Is The Western We All Need Right Now - The Federalist