1883 (TV series)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1883
Genre
Created byTaylor Sheridan
Starring
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Ron Burkle
  • David C. Glasser
  • John Linson
  • Art Linson
  • Taylor Sheridan
  • Bob Yari
ProducerDavid Hutkin
CinematographyBen Richardson
EditorsChad Galster
Martin Nicholson
Camera setupSingle-camera
Production companies
DistributorParamount Global Content Licensing
Release
Original networkParamount+
Original releaseDecember 19, 2021 (2021-12-19) –
February 27, 2022 (2022-02-27)
Chronology
Related showsYellowstone
External links
Official website

1883 is an American drama television series created by Taylor Sheridan that premiered on December 19, 2021, on Paramount+. The series stars Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sam Elliott, Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett, Marc Rissmann, Audie Rick, Eric Nelsen and James Landry Hébert. The series is a prequel to Sheridan's series Yellowstone and follows the story of how the Duttons came to own the land that would become the Yellowstone Ranch. The series consisted of ten episodes and concluded on February 27, 2022.[1] It will be followed by the sequel series 1932.[2] In addition, on February 15 Paramount ordered "additional episodes" of 1883.[3]

Premise[]

The series follows the post-Civil war generation of the Dutton family as they leave Tennessee, journey to Fort Worth, Texas, and join a European immigrant wagon train undertaking the arduous journey west to Oregon, before settling in Montana to establish what would eventually become the Yellowstone Ranch.

Cast and characters[]

Main[]

  • Sam Elliott as Shea Brennan, an employ of the Pinkerton Agency leading the expedition. Brennan is a former captain who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. His wife Helen and daughter both die of smallpox right before the start of the expedition. While mourning their deaths, he cremated them by setting fire to their house and contemplated suicide, but was interrupted by the arrival of Thomas. Brennan acts as the rugged and commanding leader of the wagon train, frequently reminding members of the danger and tragedy that they will face along the way.[4]
  • Tim McGraw as James Dutton, great-great-grandfather of John Dutton. From Tennessee, he was a captain in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War and was wounded during the Battle of Antietam and captured. He was held in a Union prisoner-of-war camp for three years. A skilled leader and combatant, he joins the wagon train with his family after meeting Brennan and Thomas in Forth Worth, Texas.[4]
  • Faith Hill as Margaret Dutton, John Dutton's great-great-grandmother and the matriarch of the family. She travels via train from Tennessee with her children, sister-in-law, Claire, and niece, Mary Abel, to Fort Worth and begins a new journey with her husband, James.[4]
  • Isabel May as Elsa Dutton, James and Margaret Dutton's tomboyish and resourceful 17-year-old daughter.[5] Much of the story is told in her voice as narrator. Young, undisciplined and innocent, she looks forward to the expedition as a great adventure. Elsa becomes hardened during the difficult journey west, also becoming enamored with a cowboy and later a Comanche warrior; much to the dismay of her parents. However, she also becomes a skilled survivalist and cowgirl.[6]
  • LaMonica Garrett as Thomas, a Pinkerton agent and veteran U.S. Army sergeant from a Buffalo Soldier regiment. He teams up with Shea Brennan to help guide the group. His arrival helps dissuade Shea from suicide. Thomas is a skilled frontiersman, and later begins a relationship with a Romani widow named Neomi.[7]
  • Marc Rissmann as Josef, a German immigrant who is married to Risa and worked as a carpenter before travelling to America. He aids the expedition serving as an interpreter for his group and as a liaison between the Americans and immigrants.[8][better source needed]
  • Audie Rick as John Dutton Sr., John Dutton's great-grandfather,[citation needed][original research?] as a young boy. He is the younger child of James and Margaret and is five years old at the beginning of the journey.[8]
  • Eric Nelsen as Ennis, a young cowboy who is paid to escort the group and tend to their cattle. He develops a relationship with Elsa before being killed by thieves.[8]
  • James Landry Hébert as Wade, the lead cowboy.[8]
  • Noah Le Gros as Colton, an experienced cowboy who joins the group at the Texas-side of the Red River.[8]

Recurring[]

  • Alex Fine as Grady, an experienced cowboy and the leader of a crew of six drovers, who agrees to help an inexperienced crew round up longhorns for their long journey.[8]
  • Gratiela Brancusi as Noemi, a Romani widow who recently lost her husband and has to raise two young boys on her own. She becomes dependent on and romantically interested in Thomas, seeing him as the man who will replace her late husband as a caretaker.[8][better source needed]
  • Anna Fiamora as Risa, a young immigrant woman who is married to Josef and joins the traveling camp to move west.[8]
  • Amanda Jaros as Alina, a weary but hopeful immigrant woman who speaks little English but has much resolve.[8]
  • Martin Sensmeier as Sam, a skilled Comanche warrior loyal to Quanah Parker, who later takes Elsa as his wife.[8]
  • James Jordan as Cookie, a foul-mouthed wagon train cook whose poor decision leads to the group's confrontation with a band of vengeful Lakota.

Guest stars[]

  • Billy Bob Thornton as Marshal Jim Courtright.[9]
  • Tom Hanks as General George Meade. In a flashback to the Battle of Antietam, he consoles James Dutton after many of his fellow soldiers are killed.[a] Hanks' wife, Rita Wilson, plays another minor character on the show, Carolyn the storekeeper.[11]
  • Graham Greene as Spotted Eagle,[12] a Crow elder who tries to help Elsa and who also points James to Paradise Valley, the final destination for the Dutton family.[13]
  • Dawn Olivieri as Claire Dutton, James Dutton's widowed sister-in-law[clarification needed] who joins him and his family on a trip to find a new home. She is intense and stern in manner, like her daughter. She dies by suicide after losing her only surviving child, Mary Abel. She was married to Henry Dutton, and had seven children, all of whom died young.[8][better source needed]
  • Emma Malouff as Mary Abel Dutton, Claire's daughter. A prim and proper young woman, she shows disdain and no sympathy for her cousin Elsa for her less traditional values. During an attack by unwelcome intruders, Mary Abel is caught in the crossfire and dies from a bullet wound.[8][better source needed]
  • Rita Wilson as Carolyn, a kindly storekeeper at Doan's Crossing, at the border of Texas and Oklahoma. She befriends Margaret when the latter visits her store and they drink whiskey together.[14]
  • Taylor Sheridan as Charles Goodnight, a rancher who hunts cattle thieves.[15]

Episodes[]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [16]
1"1883"Taylor SheridanTaylor SheridanDecember 19, 2021 (2021-12-19)
In 1883, Elsa Dutton watches as a group of pioneers are slaughtered by a band of Native Americans on the Great Plains. She kills one, before being surrounded. Months earlier, former Union Army captain Shea Brennan cremates his wife and daughter after they die of smallpox. His partner Thomas arrives and prevents him from committing suicide when he informs of a Pinkerton job in Fort Worth, Texas. Shea and his partner Thomas depart for Forth Worth and observe James Dutton kill thieves who attempt to rob his covered wagon. Meanwhile, James' family (his wife, Margaret; 17-year-old daughter, Elsa; 5-year-old son, John; sister-in-law, Claire; and her teenage daughter, Mary Abel) travels to Fort Worth from Tennessee via train. James continues to encounter antagonistic criminals in town, while Shea and Thomas meet with a group of inexperienced German and Slavic immigrants who pay them for an escort to Oregon. After the Duttons arrive, the family stays at a hotel, and a drunken man enters Elsa's room and attempts to rape her before being killed by James. Realizing a partnership would be advantageous, Shea convinces James to accompany the wagon train to Oregon.
2"Behind Us, a Cliff"Ben RichardsonTaylor SheridanDecember 19, 2021 (2021-12-19)
In a flashback to 1862, James is comforted by General George Meade following the Confederate loss at the Battle of Antietam. In the present, Shea, James, and Thomas prepare for the journey west. Shea hires two cowboys, Wade and Ennis, and purchases cattle. As the wagon train departs, tensions rise between the Americans and the immigrants, as interpreter Josef struggles to keep his group in line with Shea's perceived harsh decisions. A group of riders approach the wagon train, resulting in a confrontation caused by Claire throwing a rock at the leader. A shootout ensues, leaving Mary Abel and some immigrants dead. Shea, Thomas, James, and Josef team up with Jim Courtright to track down the killers. Claire commits suicide and the group continues west.
3"River"Christina Alexandra VorosTaylor SheridanDecember 26, 2021 (2021-12-26)
The inexperienced immigrants find themselves at the nature's mercy; namely dysentery and fatal rattlesnake bites. Approaching the Brazos River, Shea and James disagree on how to best cross; Shea opts for caution while James wants to cross quickly. Shea learns two of the immigrants have been stealing food and forces them out of the group. Shea rebuffs the advances of a newly-widowed Romani woman named Noemi. Elsa begins assisting the cowboys with the cattle and begins a flirtatious relationship with Ennis. A frustrated immigrant challenges and fails to overcome Shea. James takes John hunting and gives Ennis permission to court Elsa.
4"The Crossing"Christina Alexandra VorosTaylor SheridanJanuary 9, 2022 (2022-01-09)
Elsa embraces the cowgirl lifestyle and becomes smitten with Ennis. Thomas offers Noemi help and protection, but refuses her offer of marriage. James and his family opt to cross the river during the night and attempt to help the immigrants cross the following day. However, the crossing proves fatal for many of the immigrants who lack swimming experience. Once across, the group continues west.
5"The Fangs of Freedom"Christina Alexandra VorosTaylor SheridanJanuary 16, 2022 (2022-01-16)
With supplies short after a food wagon is lost in the river crossing, Josef reveals that a thief is hoarding the settlers' remaining stores. Shea, Thomas and James confront the thieves, take back the supplies, and banish them from the group. Wade informs Shea and Thomas that bandits are active in the region. Elsa and Ennis grow closer and the pair have sex, which Margaret witnesses from afar. Elsa receives harsh words from her mother about her decisions, and James confronts Ennis, who proclaims his love for Elsa. Meanwhile, a group of bandits ambush and kills the banished settlers, and the remaining settler group prepare for a fight. In the ensuing battle, Elsa is saved by Ennis, who in turn is shot and dies in her arms. Elsa kills Ennis' shooter.
6"Boring the Devil"Ben RichardsonTaylor SheridanJanuary 30, 2022 (2022-01-30)
Shea attempts to sympathize with the mourning Elsa. The group stop at Doan's Crossing, on the border of Indian Territory. There, Shea employs Colton, a cowboy to replace Ennis, and Cookie, a camp cook. Thomas buys a mirror for Noemi, who professes that she loves him and his gift means he loves her back. Elsa confronts a pair of catcalling men and turns her gun on them, causing a standoff which James defuses. Margaret gets drunk with Carolyn, a local shopkeeper, and argues with James about how the journey is changing Elsa.
7"Lightning Yellow Hair"Christina Alexandra VorosTaylor SheridanFebruary 6, 2022 (2022-02-06)
In Comancheria, the settlers pay a tax to the Comanche to cross their land. One of the Comanche introduces himself to Elsa as Sam, a name he took from the man who killed his wife. The two race their horses; Elsa wins and Sam nicknames her "Lightning With The Yellow Hair". A storm approaches and tornadoes threaten the group; Sam and Elsa take shelter together and embrace. The tornado devastates the group's wagons and scatters their livestock. The cattle are spotted with a group of rustlers, so Shea, Thomas, James and Elsa confront them. Separated from her father, Elsa is attacked by the rustlers until Sam and his partner save her. The rustlers are killed with assistance from cattleman Charles Goodnight.
8"The Weep of Surrender"Ben RichardsonTaylor SheridanFebruary 13, 2022 (2022-02-13)
With most of the settlers' wagons destroyed and their supplies dangerously low, Shea recommends they cut short their journey and find land to settle near Denver, Colorado. James insists to Shea that he will continue on to Oregon, and openly challenges Shea's leadership, inviting the remaining settlers to follow him onto the Oregon Trail. Meanwhile, Elsa bonds with Sam; she kills a bison and is introduced to Comanche culture. They declare their love for each other, and decide to marry. Though Margaret expresses her growing concern for her daughter, Elsa remains defiant. She announces she will escort her family to Oregon, then ride back to Comanche territory to be with Sam. The betrothed pair part as the wagon train continues west.
9"Racing Clouds"Ben RichardsonTaylor SheridanFebruary 20, 2022 (2022-02-20)
In Lakota territory, the dwindling group is beset by further tragedy when Josef is bitten by a rattlesnake and his wife is thrown from her horse, leaving her comatose and eventually proves fatal. Shea, Thomas and James come across a group of murdered Lakota women and children. Realizing they will be blamed for the massacre and hunted by Lakota warriors, they attempt to track and capture the culprits, while the remainder of the group are told to stay and explain the situation to any returning Lakota. However, at Cookie's insistence, many of the settlers choose instead to flee to a nearby U.S. Army fort, leaving Elsa and Margaret behind. Shea, Thomas and James find and kill the culprits, members of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association. The scattered settlers are attacked and many are killed by the Lakota. Elsa shoots a Lakota warrior, who in turn fires an arrow into her torso. After Elsa defuses the fight by speaking a few words taught to her by Sam, the Lakota leave. Colton is forced to kill a crazed, partially-scalped arrow-impaled Alina. Elsa receives rudimentary treatment for her wound. James quietly tells Margaret that Elsa is going to die.
10"This Is Not Your Heaven"Ben RichardsonTaylor SheridanFebruary 27, 2022 (2022-02-27)
The wagon train arrives at Fort Caspar in the Wyoming Territory to find it in possession of Joseph Maull Carey, the leader of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association. There is no surgeon to help Elsa, though a doctor confirms her wound is life-threatening and advises taking her to Fort Laramie. Meanwhile, Josef's leg turns gangrenous and it is amputated by James, Shea and Thomas. Later, Elsa is treated by a local Crow tribe. Elsa realizes she is going to die, and asks to choose her burial spot. The Crow leader recommends a valley in the Montana Territory called 'Paradise' for the Duttons to settle, but promises that his people will reclaim the land in seven generations. Forced to leave his wife and son behind to find the spot before Elsa succumbs to her wound, James and Elsa ride to Paradise. Beneath a tree, Elsa dies in her father's arms. A year later, Shea arrives at the Pacific Ocean; his promise to his late-wife fulfilled, he shoots himself on the beach. Josef, alone and on crutches, begins building his home; Thomas and Noemi arrive in Oregon where they find a location near a river to build their home.

Series crossover[]

To introduce the new series 1883 to Yellowstone viewers, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill reprised their roles as James and Margaret Dutton in flashback scenes in the fourth season of Yellowstone to show what life was like on the Dutton ranch in 1893, ten years after the Dutton family arrival in Montana. In the first episode, "Half the Money", James Dutton and his preteen sons John, portrayed by Jack Michael Doke, and Spenser, portrayed by Charlie Stover, encountered starving Native Americans who had left the local reservation to bury their father on their former land that had since become a part of the Dutton Ranch.[17] In the eighth episode No Kindness for the Coward, Margaret Dutton and her sons John and Spenser are sitting at the dinner table in their ranch homestead waiting for her husband and their father to return from a dangerous manhunt of horse thieves that plague their territory.[18] These episodes aired prior to release of 1883 on Paramount Plus.

Production[]

Development[]

In February 2021, Taylor Sheridan signed a five-year deal with ViacomCBS and MTV Entertainment Group following the success of Yellowstone. Under the deal, he would create new series for both studios. One of these was Y: 1883, a prequel to Yellowstone, set to be broadcast on Paramount+.[19] Sheridan said that he struggled with writer's block after selling the concept to Paramount+, but he managed to overcome it while working on another series, Mayor of Kingstown.[20]

Casting[]

The same night Isabel May auditioned for that show, Sheridan decided he needed her to make 1883 work.[20] He went on to make Paramount hire May, a relative unknown, before he was even finished writing the script, because "it won't work if we don't get her."[21] On August 4, 2021, it was announced that Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Sam Elliott had joined the cast.[4] A further announcement on August 21 confirmed both Isabel May and announced that LaMonica Garrett had joined the cast.[7]

On September 10, December 6, and December 10, respectively, it was confirmed that Billy Bob Thornton, Graham Greene, and Tom Hanks had joined as guest stars.[9][12][22]

Filming[]

Filming on the series started in August 2021 in Texas and is expected to continue until January 2022 in Montana. Many actors expressed discomfort at the cold temperatures while filming in Montana. Star Faith Hill deemed filming as "the most physically and mentally challenging thing we have ever done."[20] Star Sam Elliott also expressed that filming his scenes was difficult, but "we're getting it onscreen, and in the end that's what matters. This is really going to be something special."[20]

Isabel May has alluded to Taylor Sheridan's quest for "authenticity" concerning no cosmetics nor shaving of underarm hair. In Town & Country, May emphasized, "Taylor said from the very beginning, 'I want everything to be authentic.' I mean, women didn't start shaving until the 1920s. He really wanted that to be an aspect of the show, and so I was more than happy to oblige."[6]

Music[]

The series' score was composed by Brian Tyler and Breton Vivian, both of whom worked on Yellowstone.

Release[]

On November 8, 2021, a first-look trailer for the series was released;[23] a full trailer was released on December 3.[24] The series made its TV premiere on December 25, 2021 on CMT. The first episode was run on Paramount Network, who ordered the show before they moved it to streaming on sister platform Paramount+ during its development, as part of promoting the show, like they did with Mayor of Kingstown.

Reception[]

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 86% based on 21 reviews with an average score of 7.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "1883 can feel too overdetermined to be a properly rough-hewn Western, but viewers will want to saddle up for Sam Elliott's commanding star turn."[25] Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 69 out of 100 based on 12 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[26]

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ He is incorrectly portrayed: Meade was not promoted to Major General until after the battle, in which he was wounded.[10]

References[]

  1. ^ "When the Next Episode of '1883' Is Available and the Series Finale Date Revealed". newsweek.com. January 22, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  2. ^ White, Peter (February 15, 2022). "Billy Bob Thornton Set As Lead In 'Land Man', Zoe Saldaña To Star In 'Lioness' & '1883' Gets New Season, Spinoff As Paramount+ Grows Taylor Sheridan Universe". Deadline. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  3. ^ "'1883' Producer Explains That Heartbreaking Finale (And What Comes Next)". The Hollywood Reporter. February 27, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 4, 2021). "Taylor Sheridan's 'Yellowstone' Prequel '1883' To Star Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  5. ^ "Behind Us, A Cliff". 1883. Episode 2. December 18, 2021. 23-24 minutes in. Paramount+. Official transcript. Elsa as Narrator: Eighteen years-ago on this day, Lee surrendered to Grant in the home of Wilmer Mclean in the village of Appomattox. A year later, I was born. It was Monday, April 9th, 1883. Monday was my birthday...
  6. ^ a b Hubbard, Lauren (December 20, 2021). "1883's Isabel May Opens Up About the Yellowstone Prequel". Town & Country. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 24, 2021). "'Yellowstone' Prequel '1883' Underway: Isabel May & LaMonica Garrett Join Cast As Paramount+ Builds A Taylor Sheridan Universe". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Petski, Denise (November 18, 2021). "Taylor Sheridan's 'Yellowstone' Prequel '1883' Announces Full Cast Ahead Of December Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Petski, Denise (September 10, 2021). "Billy Bob Thornton Joins Taylor Sheridan's 'Yellowstone' Prequel '1883'".
  10. ^ Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher. Civil War High Commands. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2001, p. 385. ISBN 0-8047-3641-3. Tagg, Larry. The Generals of Gettysburg. Campbell, California: Savas Publishing, 1998, pp. 2-3. ISBN 1-882810-30-9.
  11. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (December 10, 2021). "Tom Hanks Enlists To Help Tim McGraw Battle Of Antietam Flashback In Taylor Sheridan's 'Yellowstone' Prequel '1883'".
  12. ^ a b "'1883' Casts 'Dances With Wolves' Actor Graham Greene in Pivotal Role". Outsider. December 6, 2021.
  13. ^ Leydon, Joe (February 27, 2022). "1883 Episode 110 Recap: "This is Not Your Heaven": Graham Greene guest stars as Spotted Eagle, a Crow elder who points James Dutton in the right direction during the season finale". Cowboys & Indians.
  14. ^ Kemmerle, Karen (January 30, 2022). "Rita Wilson Gets Faith Hill Drunk On '1883'". decider.com. New York Post. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  15. ^ Handore, Pratik (February 6, 2022). "Who Is Charlie Goodnight? Is Taylor Sheridan in 1883? Will He Join the Caravan?". The Cinemaholic.
  16. ^ "Shows A-Z - 1883 on paramount plus". The Futon Critic. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  17. ^ Kemmerle, Karen (November 7, 2021). "'Yellowstone' Season 4 Premiere Gave Us Our First Look at Tim McGraw as '1883's James Dillard Dutton". Decider.
  18. ^ Monteil, Abby (December 20, 2021). "Is Faith Hill In 'Yellowstone' Season 4?". Decider.
  19. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 5, 2021). "'Yellowstone' Prequel 'Y: 1883' Set For Paramount+ Under Mega New Taylor Sheridan Overall Deal With ViacomCBS & MTV Entertainment". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  20. ^ a b c d Murray, Noel (December 16, 2021). "'Yellowstone' Gets a Prequel in '1883,' but It Wasn't Easy". The New York Times. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  21. ^ "Series Creator Taylor Sheridan Says Isabel May is 'The Personification of This World of 1883'". January 12, 2022.
  22. ^ "Tom Hanks Enlists to Help Tim McGraw Battle of Antietam Flashback in Taylor Sheridan's 'Yellowstone' Prequel '1883'". December 10, 2021.
  23. ^ "1883 - First Look Teaser Promo". Youtube. November 8, 2021. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  24. ^ Twitter Trailer
  25. ^ "1883: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  26. ^ "1883: Season 1". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved December 20, 2021.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""