Yellowstone Watch Order: The Complete Universe Guide, Including Every Spinoff

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone has quietly become its own TV universe — five generations of the Dutton family spread across five different series, with two more on the way. The problem is that almost every “watch order” guide online either skips the confusing parts or gets the current status flat-out wrong, especially around two shows that get lumped in incorrectly.

This guide covers all five official Yellowstone series, the two upcoming spinoffs, and — most importantly — clears up exactly which related shows are and aren’t actually part of the Dutton family story. We’ll also show you both valid ways to watch it, because unlike most franchises, Yellowstone genuinely supports two different orders for two different reasons.

Two Ways to Watch (and Why It Actually Matters Here)

Unlike most franchises where “chronological vs. release order” is a minor preference, Yellowstone genuinely changes in meaning depending on which path you take. Here’s both, with the real reasoning behind each.

Option A: Chronological Order (Recommended for First-Timers)

Watching the prequels first means that when John Dutton talks about protecting the family legacy, you already know exactly what his ancestors sacrificed to get that land — the brutal wagon trail in 1883, the Prohibition-era land war in 1923. His obsession lands very differently once you’ve seen where it came from.

• 1 1883 Set in 1883
• 2 1923 Set in 1923, 40 years later
• 3 Yellowstone (Seasons 1–5) Set present day
• 4 Marshals & Dutton Ranch Set directly after Yellowstone S5

Option B: Release Order (How Most Fans Originally Watched It)

This is the order the show actually built its audience in, and it’s how the flagship series originally hooked viewers before expanding backward into the prequels. If you want the experience as it was designed to be discovered, this is it.

• 1 Yellowstone 2018–2024
• 2 1883 2021–2022
• 3 1923 2022–2025
• 4 Marshals March 2026
• 5 Dutton Ranch May 2026

Is It All Actually Connected? (The Part Most Guides Get Wrong)

Taylor Sheridan has created a huge number of shows, and not all of them are set in the Yellowstone universe — even ones that were originally announced as spinoffs. Here’s the real breakdown.

Every Yellowstone Series Explained

What’s Coming Next: 1944 & 6666

Two more series are planned to expand the franchise further, though they’re at very different stages of development.

Quick Reference Table: Status of Every Series

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Verdict: What’s the Best Way to Watch Yellowstone?

If this is your first time in the Dutton family saga, go chronological: 1883, then 1923, then Yellowstone, then Marshals and Dutton Ranch. It’s a slower burn, but the payoff in John Dutton’s later seasons hits much harder once you’ve lived through what his ancestors went through.

If you just want to jump into what everyone’s currently talking about, start with Yellowstone itself — it stands completely on its own, and you can always loop back to the prequels later.

And whichever path you take, leave The Madison and Lawmen: Bass Reeves for separate viewing. They’re both worth watching on their own merits, but they won’t deepen your understanding of the main Dutton storyline the way the five official series do.