1923 Fans Praise Taylor Sheridan For “Brilliant” Series Finale: “Totally Redeemed Himself”

And that’s that… the second of installment of the Yellowstone prequels, 1923, is officially in the books.

We knew it was going to be epic, we knew it was going to be hard to watch, but I don’t think any of us knew just how devastating the 1923 series finale was going to be. When it comes to Taylor Sheridan, you can always count on a few things… heartache, shock, and spinning horses (kidding, if you saw the last season of Yellowstone, you know what I’m saying). When Taylor set out to tell the origin story of Duttons, beginning back with 1883, and now through the early 20s with 1923, it was primarily through the lens of struggle… a deep dive into just how insanely difficult it was to move your family across the continent, plant roots in Montana, and survive amid harsh winters, disease, violence and relative lawlessness of the times. And while we tend to think of the “Roaring 20s” in that era, it was far from roaring in Montana at the time.

James Dutton lost half his family on the way to Montana, including his daughter Elsa. His son John died later in 1923, and John’s wife Emma dies by suicide following the loss of her husband. James’ grandson Jack has died… every generation seems to lose just as much as it grows. It’s par for the course in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe. So ahead of the 2 hour 1923 series finale, I think most fans were expecting the worst… and it lived up to the hype. Spoiler alert if you haven’t had a chance to watch the series finale yet, you might just want to click on through to the next blog, or maybe bookmark this one for later. I won’t get into too many details, but the fan reactions definitely reveal some major plot moments.

All good? Let’s continue…

It’s safe to assume that the biggest fans of the show have watched it already, and so far, the reactions have been overwhelmingly… positive. While it certainly seems like many of the most vocal viewers are hate-watching every Taylor Sheridan show (even others like Landman), but the early reactions are nothing but great… and I have to agree. What a spectacular finish. The biggest knock on the show has been that it’s been painfully slow, particularly as it relates to Spencer Dutton and his wife Alexandra getting home to Montana. But this story was always about the journey… not completely about the ranch.

I have to say, Banner’s redemption story might be my favorite part of the whole thing… I absolutely hated to see the way that went down for him, but at the same time, the writing was on the wall. I saw it coming.

That being said, fans took to social media to share utter praise for the brilliance of the Series Finale:

1923 definitely saved the best for last. Watched the Series Finale this morning and it hits all the marks. Was a rocky season but ended on a high. Taylor Sheridan and Paramount, congrats!

— Mark Moseley Jr (@MarkMoseley3) April 6, 2025

Wow. 1923 finale. Just wow.

— MSU Chick (@ChickMsu) April 6, 2025

Just finished the season finale of 1923. I thought it was fantastic.

1 hour & 52mins of one of the best ever episodes of television ever produced, in my opinion. #1923Finale

— Jamie (@SirJamieH) April 6, 2025

Just watched 1923 season 2 finale
WOW what a brilliant 2hr long episode
Loved it

— Chris Dunne (@007DuN1) April 6, 2025

1923 season finale was a movie. My god! pic.twitter.com/0xqqWHgmUR

— Choji (@Dan_McKane) April 6, 2025

1923 season 2 finale is the coolest thing I've seen on TV in a while. A classic roller-coaster of emotions. https://t.co/foRmT7uOgB

— chigbo (@raphaelchigbo) April 6, 2025

1923 season 2 the ending wow. Taylor Sheridan you lost me for a while but this season finale, a true cinematic masterpiece.

— Jai (@jaigd17) April 6, 2025

That finale of 1923. Holy shit Taylor Sheridan did a master job.

— Alex McCarthy (@AlexsArrowCave) April 6, 2025

1923 season 2. Genius idea to wrap the final 2 episodes into 1. Sheridan is THE best storyteller of our time. We could do with a Spencer Dutton in England right now!

— Marco (@Marcothebuilder) April 6, 2025

Just finished season finale of “1923” obviously no spoilers, but so good!! 10/10 and it’s on for just under 2 hours!

— sean the cabbie (@northolt3103) April 6, 2025

Taylor Sheridan totally redeemed himself with that episode of 1923

— Dan Knightly (@DanKnightly) April 6, 2025

Taylor Sheridan is a extremely talented individual.
Just finished watching 1923, sad to see it end.

— Elmo Splivin (@Leonssplivin) April 6, 2025

Of course, there were a few who were less than impressed:

1923….

Second only to the Games of Thrones finale, which was the worst…ever

— KJM (@KJM_withaview) April 6, 2025

Two and a half years waiting for season 2 of 1923 just to have my heart RIPPED from my chest.

FUCK THIS!!!! #1923Finale #1923season2

— TLC (@proudgirlmom89) April 6, 2025

@taylorSheridan 1923 season 2 was horrible. You didn’t have to kill Alex. But you did and as such, this was my last Yellowstone spinoff.

— Robin Christian (@Robo4547) April 6, 2025

Taylor Sheridan WTH! Why separate Spencer and Alex for the entire season, then torture her in every single episode only for them to reunite and then she dies. Where’s the payoff?! #1923

— Nat (@NatRichonne) April 6, 2025

Can’t please everyone I guess…

Every Yellowstone Spinoff In The Works

Even though Yellowstone is done, and now 1923 has reached it’s conclusion, Taylor Sheridan is still the busiest man in Hollywood.

The Yellowstone universe is alive and well with a number of spinoffs and prequels reportedly in the works. Of course, the big news after the series finale was that Rip and Beth would be returning for a spinoff series, with Kelly Reilly (Beth Dutton) saying that she just wasn’t ready to let her character go. She shared a lengthy post saying goodbye to Yellowstone, and then responded to a comment from a fan, confirming that she will be starring in the spinoff series:

“Thank you for sharing this. You don’t have to be finished… a new chapter is happening. I wasn’t ready to let her go either … thank you.”

With that being said, here’s a quick look at every Yellowstone Universe series that Taylor Sheridan has cooking…

The Madison

Paramount has confirmed that the new, modern day spinoff series will star Michelle Pfeiffer and will be called The Madison, and it will also feature Patrick J Adams, Matthew Fox, Elle Chapman and Beau Garrett. Kurt Russell was rumored to take part, but that has not been confirmed. The show reportedly will not be connected to the story of the Dutton family, so it’s unclear exactly how it’s related to the Yellowstone universe.

The series has been described as a “heartfelt study of grief and human connection following a New York City family in the Madison River valley of Montana,” and it set to premiere in late 2025, or perhaps even early 2026.

1944 Prequel

Paramount has confirmed that another Yellowstone prequel series is in the works, titled 1944. Based on the timeline of the show, 1944 should chronicle the story of John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) father, John Dutton II and his journey to carry forward the Dutton empire amid the trying times of World War II.

1960s Era Prequel

There has also been conversation about a ’60s era prequel as well, however no other information has been revealed.

Modern Day Spinoff/6666’s Ranch

Paramount has also previously announced a contemporary spinoff series, that was initially rumored to star Matthew McConaughey, with the working title of 2024. Of course, with it now being 2025, that definitely won’t be the title, and my hunch as that the modern day spinoff series will be focused around the 6666’s Ranch… a spinoff that has been talked about for awhile.

It could potentially star some of the original cast of Yellowstone, to carry forward the modern day Dutton story. If I was a betting man, I’d say Jefferson White’s character Jimmy could be the star?

Rip & Beth Spinoff

It’s been confirmed that Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly will be reprising their roles as Rip Wheeler and Beth Dutton in a spinoff series that will essentially carry forward the Yellowstone story. Other members of the original cast are expected to be on board as well, but it’s not confirmed if this is the expected “modern day spinoff” that has been discussed by Paramount (mentioned above), but my guess is that the show might be taking place down at the 6666’s Ranch. Since plans for the contemporary spinoff was announced a long time ago, it’s unclear if there will be 2 separate spinoff shows, or if they’ll just parlay the ideas into one concept.

Stay tuned… there’s a lot to be excited about if you’re a Yellowstone fan.