Taylor Sheridan’s Most Ambitious $350M Western Series Deserved a Better Ending

Taylor Sheridan is, without a doubt, the most productive showrunner working in television today, thanks to his talent for creating memorable characters and establishing stakes, which may explain why so many A-list stars are interested in working with him. 1923 is easily the most ambitious show Sheridan has ever made because it tells a prequel to Yellowstone that also explores the crisis of identity faced by Americans in the gap between the two World Wars. Although 1923 was one of the most well-received shows in the history of Paramount’s streaming service, it ended surprisingly early and lost sight of its potential.

1923 follows the powerful ranchers Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren) as they protect their family’s property during a feud with other landowners. Jacob and Cara have raised their nephew, Spencer (Brandon Sklenar), and grand-nephew, Jack (Darren Mann), as their own after the events of 1883, but danger surrounds the family at every turn. While the powerful tycoon Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) threatens to encroach upon the Duttons' ranch in Montana, Spencer fends off different threats when he falls in love with a British woman named Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer) while on safari in Africa. 1923 has some of the most fully realized characters and compelling historical context that Sheridan has ever delved into, which makes it all the more surprising and disappointing that the series ended earlier than fans expected.

Taylor Sheridan's ‘1923’ Needed More Than Two Seasons

Sheridan is a storyteller who is better at beginning stories than completing them; while series like the original Yellowstone started strong, its storylines became less believable in later seasons. However, 1923 had strict parameters about what it could depict because it had to fit into both the arc of Yellowstone's existing Dutton family tree and real historical events. Much of the narrative tension that emerges is a result of the economic depression felt by those within America’s heartland, which predated the Wall Street Crash of 1929; the series was also best served by the involvement of Ford and Mirren, and would have been less interesting had it taken place after their characters' deaths in the overall timeline. However, the 1923 series finale, “A Dream and a Memory,” ends at a point at which the story is not necessarily concluded. While Whitfield is defeated, it does not automatically fix all the Duttons’ predicaments, as one of the show’s core themes is that it takes consistent effort to protect one’s family.

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Although “A Dream and a Memory” features action and spectacle that rival some of the biggest blockbusters of recent years, 1923 didn’t fully take advantage of all of its character relationships. It is disappointing that, after spending many months apart, Spencer doesn't spend more time with Jacob or demonstrate how much he's grown as a leader. Likewise, Spencer’s romance with Alexandra ends on a devastating note, even by Sheridan’s standards. Although it’s not the first time that Sheridan has come under fire for the way he writes his female characters, it feels particularly cruel to spend two seasons tormenting Alexandra before denying her the opportunity to create more happy memories with her husband.

‘1923’ Had a Rushed Series Finale

Sheridan is a storyteller who benefits from taking time to create tension, and that technique is effective at many points throughout 1923; the cruelty that Whitfield shows to the sex workers makes it all the more satisfying when he is dispatched in the most brutal way possible. However, Season 2 heavily relied on convenient narrative maneuvering for a more straightforward battle to occur in its two-part finale. The redemption of Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn), while surprising and thought-provoking, seems to happen at just the right moment when the Duttons' enemies are multiplying, and doesn’t provide him with a real opportunity to make amends with Jacob. Similarly, Sheriff McDowell (Robert Patrick) seems to serve the sole purpose of relaying information between Jacob and Spencer, even though he is established as a key ally. Patrick is too talented an actor to be wasted in such a thankless role, especially given the natural chemistry he has with Ford.

Sheridan can sometimes be his own worst enemy, as 1923's brief run is mostly disappointing because of how good the overall show was. With 1923, Sheridan combined the narrative bravery seen in his films with the expansive, family-centric scope of Yellowstone; some of his more self-indulgent qualities, such as stunt casting or controversial humor, were almost entirely absent. Perhaps Sheridan’s goal with 1923 was to make something that could be ranked among the greatest television dramas because it never had a bad episode. While it’s always a good thing to leave an audience wanting more, those who had followed 1923 from the beginning simply wanted to see a better conclusion.

1923

Release Date 2022 - 2025-00-00