With the fate of "Yellowstone" hanging in the balance (Will Season 5 really be back this November? What's the deal with the McConaughey spinoff?), fans can take comfort in knowing that prequel series "1923" will return for a second (and likely final) season.
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The Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren-led period Western debuted in Dec. 2022 as the year's most-watched series premiere on cable, earning a quick Season 2 renewal in Feb. 2023. The show, which streams on Paramount+, nabbed two 2024 Golden Globe nominations: A Best Actress nod for Mirren, as well as a coveted nomination for Best Drama Series.
The entire main cast is expected to return for an 8-episode sophomore outing, which they're calling "explosive." Brandon Sklenar all but confirmed that his character, Spencer Dutton, would make it back to Montana in Season 2. Speaking with Fox at the Golden Globes on Jan. 7, Sklenar expressed his excitement at finally filming scenes with Ford and Mirren.
"When I found out they were going to be in it with me, I was like, 'Great!'" he said on the red carpet, adding that production on Season 2 would begin in early 2024: "I'm still waiting on a couple scripts for next season and we leave in a couple months."
Here's what we know so far about "1923" Season 2, from release date to likely plot lines. Warning: Spoilers ahead for "1923" Season 1.
What Happened in '1923' Season 1?
Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton in 1923. (Emerson Miller/Paramount+)
Like any self-respecting "Yellowstone" series, "1923" Season 1 ended on a massive cliffhanger. Prodigal son Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) was arrested for accidentally throwing his wife Alexandra's (Julia Schlaepfer) ex-fiancé overboard. (Hey, it happens.)
Alexandra vowed to meet Spencer in Montana, where the Dutton clan is in a fight for their very lives and facing a brutal winter to boot. Jerome Flynn's sheep-herder Banner Creighton and his high-buck backer, mining tycoon Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton), have made a savvy play for the Yellowstone. If the Duttons can't pay off their debts, Whitfield will win the deed to the hard-won family seat.
What's the Plot of '1923' Season 2?
Brandon Sklenar as Spencer Dutton in 1923. (Emerson Miller/Paramount+)
While there's no official synopsis for "1923" Season 2 at this time, Brandon Sklenar has all but confirmed that Spencer Dutton will indeed return to Montana and fight. But will Spencer's might be enough to stop Whitfield and his men?
"It's going to be a powerful homecoming," Sklenar told Esquire in a Feb. 2023 interview. "The man we meet in Episode 1 of Season 2 is a much different man from who we see at the end of this season. So, it's going to be exciting to get into that new version of Spencer."
It's safe to bet all of the show's disparate plot lines will converge in Season 2, and some patriarchs will fall (*cough* Jacob Dutton). Aminah Nieves' Teonna Rainwater will likely make it back to Montana, but not unscathed. Maybe Alexandra can funnel some of her aristocratic family's wealth into the Dutton cause. Whatever behind-the-scenes machinations, Sklenar told Esquire that he expects Season 2 to wrap with an "explosive" finale.
Given that Timothy Dalton's big-bad Donald Whitfield heads a mining company, we might take Sklenar's prediction literally. Some dynamite at the Dutton family ranch? Wouldn't be the first time. In the 2018 series premiere of "Yellowstone," Rip and Jimmy divert a stream with explosives. We could be in for a full-circle moment, people!
The Cast of '1923' Season 2
Helen Mirren, Darren Mann and Michelle Randolph in 1923. (Christopher Saunders/Paramount+)
All the central cast members will return for "1923" Season 2, including Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren's Jacob and Cara Dutton. We'll probably get a new crop of characters to round out the Yellowstone's army and Whitfield's mining operation, but there's no casting news to speak of yet. Here's a list of all the folks we expect to reprise their roles in Season 2:
- Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton, the brother of the late James Dutton (played by Tim McGraw in "1883") who built the Yellowstone into an empire.
- Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton, Jacob's magnificently capable Irish-born wife.
- Brandon Sklenar as Spencer Dutton, the last living son of James and Margaret Dutton and the heir to the Yellowstone.
- Darren Mann as Jack Dutton, the son of the late John Dutton.
- Michelle Randolph as Elizabeth Dutton, Jack's wife who suffered a miscarriage in Season 1.
- Julia Schlaepfer as Alexandra Dutton, Spencer's British-born wife determined to reunite with him in Montana.
- Aminah Nieves as Teonna Rainwater, a Native teen who escaped an abusive Catholic boarding school. She's probably a descendant of Yellowstone's Chief Thomas Rainwater, played by Gil Birmingham.
- Marley Shelton as Emma Dutton, John's steadfast widow and Jack's mother.
- Jerome Flynn as Banner Creighton, a neighboring sheep-herder determined to take the Duttons' land. Creighton and his men ambushed the family in Season 1, killing John Dutton.
- Timothy Dalton as Donald Whitfield, the head of a mining company with designs on the Yellowstone.
- Sebastian Roché as Father Renaud, the murderous boarding school head who's sent all his men after Teonna.
'1923' Season 2 Premiere Date
Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren as Jacob and Cara Dutton in 1923. (Christopher Saunders/Paramount+)
Production on "1923" Season 2 was delayed due to the dual strikes of 2023. Per Sklenar's comments to Fox, filming is expected to begin in early 2024. We probably won't see Season 2 until 2025.
But have faith: Season 1 began filming in July 2022 and premiered that December. Never underestimate Taylor Sheridan's ability to deliver on a deadline.
All episodes of "1923" Season 1 are now streaming on Paramount+.
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