Paramount+ has ordered an undisclosed number of additional episodes of “1883” without officially designating them as Season 2. According to The Hollywood Reporter, extending the current season enables Paramount+ to avoid the salary negotiations that usually accompany additional season orders of a successful show. However, until Paramount confirms how these new episodes will be classified and what it means for casting, it’s unclear how this will affect “1883” in the long run.
Similarly unclear is an expected release date for future episodes of “1883.” Esquire speculates they could debut in late 2022, which may be an optimistic timeline given all of the high-profile projects Taylor Sheridan has in the works. In early February, Deadline confirmed “Yellowstone” will return for Season 5, and Variety reported “Mayor of Kingstown” is getting a second season. The “Yellowstone” universe is also expanding with another prequel, “1932,” which “will follow a new generation of Duttons during the time of Westward expansion, Prohibition, and the Great Depression.” Other upcoming Sheridan series include “Land Man,” starring Billy Bob Thornton, “Lioness,” starring Zoe Saldaña, and “Tulsa King,” starring Sylvester Stallone, per THR.
So far, Paramount+ is keeping any and all plot details surrounding the future episodes of “1883” under wraps. Elsa’s grim fate explains why the Duttons end up in Montana, although she is not alive to see the life her parents and brother build on this new land. That, it seems, will be the foundation of the next chapter of “1883”: viewers following the Duttons as they lay down roots in the place they fought so hard (and lost so much) to get to. However, it’s hard to imagine fans embracing “1883” if it strays too far from its current incarnation, abandoning fan favorites along the way.
“1883” Season 1 is available to stream in its entirety on Paramount+.