A prequel series “Yellowstone” is being offered at Paramount Plus under the extension of co-creator of the series, Taylor Sheridan, with the overall agreement with ViacomCBS.
The prequel, “Y: 1883,” follows the Dutton family as they make a journey west through the Great Plains to the last bastion of untamed America. It is described as a powerful version of Western expansion, and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land – Montana.
The program will appear on Paramount Plus in 2021, with a special preview being presented this Sunday during the Super Bowl. It is produced by Sheridan, co-creator John Linson, co-creator “Yellowstone”, Art Linson, David Glasser, David Hutkin and Bob Yari.
“Taylor Sheridan is a visionary creative worker who has reclaimed genres and fan groups around the world; we are delighted that he is calling ViacomCBS and MTV Entertainment his home, ”said Chris McCarthy, President of MTV Entertainment. “We could not be more excited to build on our partnership with him, expand the Yellowstone universe and showcase Taylor’s boundless talent in all of our brands and platforms.”
“Y: 1883” is the first of many projects for Sheridan in the comprehensive agreement, which was originally signed less than a year ago. He will create multi-platform content with MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios under the multi-year treaty, which includes five cycles per year of script and procedure series. Content is exclusive to ViacomCBS, including but not limited to Paramount Network, Paramount Plus, CBS and other brands and platforms under the control of the media giant.
The expansion of the “Yellowstone” brand beyond Paramount Network is no surprise, as it is currently the top series on cable. The series was still a big draw for the cable car in the third season, with the final season 3 reaching 5.2 million viewers. It was renewed last year for a fourth season at Paramount Network, along with the announcement of Sheridan’s overall deal.
“I’m excited to continue the story of ‘Yellowstone’ and thank you to Chris, Keith and David for continuing to expand the family for the fans,” Sheridan said.
Variety In September, exclusively reported that Paramount Network was largely abandoning the script series game, except for ‘Yellowstone’. The network is rather focusing on movies made for TV. ViacomCBS is instead moving much of its new text content to Paramount Plus, which is the name of the streaming service CBS All Access.
“Taylor Sheridan is a master at world building and has a unique voice that makes him one of the most striking creators of today who needs to watch content,” said David Glasser, CEO of 101 Studios. “Our mission at 101 is to produce content that evokes cultural conversations with well-known creators at the helm of our projects, and that is exactly what we intend for this collaboration. This agreement is an extension of our long-standing relationship with ViacomCBS, MTV Entertainment Group and Taylor, and we are very much looking forward to our future projects. ”