Is The New 'Yellowstone' Prequel '1923' Worth Watching?

PublishedDecember 19, 2022 9:04 AM EST•UpdatedDecember 19, 2022 9:04 AM EST

"1923" premiered Sunday, and "Yellowstone" fans are going to love it.

The second prequel to the legendary Kevin Costner series stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren as Jacob and Cara Dutton, and takes place decades after the conclusion of "1883."

In fact, "1883" fans might be excited to know Isabel May briefly reprises her role as Elsa to do a voiceover early in the premiere episode.

While we dig into "Yellowstone" spoilers with every recap, we're going to avoid that with the early "1923" review.

"1923" stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. (Credit: Paramount+)

Does "1923" live up to the hype?

What I will say is that the premiere of "1923" was about as strong as a premiere of a show could get. The scope and size of the show is exactly what fans were hoping for.

"Yellowstone" and "1883" also went big. The shows are so big that the landscape and nature the storylines unfold in is almost a character itself.

It's no different in "1923." It's so big it's intimidating at times.

The backdrop isn't something "Yellowstone" fans are unfamiliar with. Jacob Dutton is a lawman overseeing an empire (sound familiar?), and he's tasked with raising James Dutton's children after he and his wife Margaret - the main characters in "1883" - both die. That's about as deep into spoilers as we're going to get.

The show also plays on a lot of familiar themes "Yellowstone" fans are used to. There's a massive storyline about Native Americans needing to be broken and changed by the people now running the show, and Spencer Dutton is essentially Kayce Dutton 2.0.

He's a veteran of WWI and finds himself hunting big game in Africa. While it's a bit early to tell, it's almost certain he's the hammer that will likely carry out any necessary violence.

From a tone perspective, "1923" is very dark. It's every bit as dark as "Yellowstone," and probably much darker than "1883." Again, without spoiling anything, the Native American storyline is brutal right from the jump.

You also get to see violence and blood literally right from the start of the series.

Overall, "1923" hit a home run with the premiere. You can catch it on Paramount+, and if you love "Yellowstone," there's no way you like Harrison Ford's prequel.