Yellowstone prequel 1923, starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, is landing next month

With the subheading “A Yellowstone Origin Story”, t’ain’t no way that 1923 can avoid wrassling up a legion of yee-hawing, Kevin Costner-worshipping fans. It’s the second series to take us back into the ancestral past of the Dutton family, after 1883 already took us a tad further into the clan’s pivotal move out west.

Starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren as Jacob and Cara Dutton, we’re proud to announce that season one of 1923 will be available exclusively on Prime Video from December 19 for subscribers in New Zealand. It’s from OG series creator Taylor Sheridan, but beyond that we’re keen to meet a whole new generation of land-grabbing, back-stabbing, Stetson-wearing Duttons.

Set almost a hundred years ago, life for the Duttons in 1923 has some striking similarities to our time period. There’s a deadly pandemic to recover from, the Great Depression looming, and these poor folks can’t even kick back and ignore all the chaos with a brew or two thanks to that pesky prohibition movement.

We have a feeling that Ford and Mirren will have the guts to get over any threats to their family and livelihood, though, seeing how steely and pragmatic they appear in the short teaser trailer below. A drawling female voice lays out the situation for us: “violence has always haunted this family. And when it doesn’t follow, we hunt it down. We seek it.”

It’s somewhat odd that 1923 will screen exclusively on Prime Video, as the hotly-anticipated fifth season of original series Yellowstone is currently playing out on NEON. We’ve been publishing plenty of commentary on how that hugely popular series draws influences from westerns, Shakespeare, and the best soapy power-struggle TV to become the juggernaut title it is.

Can 1923 achieve the same enthusiastic audience? Well heck, sure, especially with Ford and Mirren as such a formidable pair of leads. They look quite loved up in our thumbnail image up top, but never forget that John Dutton’s blood first flowed in their veins: surely some deceit and betrayal is headed their way, perhaps even between each other.