1,238 reviews
As a big Yellowstone fan I was really looking forward to 1883 and I was not disappointed! Taylor Sheridan has created another hit show! The cast was even better than I thought. I was a little worried about Tim McGraw and Faith Hill but they were both terrific. Sam Elliot was as great as always and Isabel May is a star in the making. For the people complaining about the language and violence...it's a show for adults so relax. I love everything about this show, the acting, writing, directing, production, cinematography, etc are all excellent!! If you're a fan of Yellowstone or even a western fan in general then this is a must watch!
- Supermanfan-13
- Jan 14, 2023
- Permalink
I have to say that I really enjoyed 1883 even more than I thought I wound. This is the prequel to Yellowstone as it shows the Dutton family as they travel from Texas to Montana looking for a better life. It's created by Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown, etc.). Sheridan has turned in one great show after another and this one is no different. It's a very gritty and violent show that showed off the realness of the Wild West. The writing and acting is what makes this show so special. It's too bad that this is only a mini-series and there aren't more seasons coming because I would love to see more from this show.
1. In the UK, unlike in the US, it always been common to have single creators known for their ability to generate consistent hi-quality dramas. Steven Moffat comes to mind. He has been creating hits since the 1980s. In the US, the nearest thing we have to a creator of that same quality is Taylor Sheridan. Check out his IMDb bio. Props to him. He has earned it.
2. The incredible success of Yellowstone is not merely about Costner and Sheridan, it could also be considered "The Revenge of the Studio System." Unlike the typical Netflix offering, Yellowstone is old school Hollywood all the way. And it shows. And so is 1883.
3. Sam Elliot is 77 years old and has been playing the same basic character -- perfectly -- for decades. In the UK they would have knighted him by now. Seriously.
Bottom line -- at every level, 1883 represents the best that America has to offer. It is in the DNA. So just enjoy it.
((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))
2. The incredible success of Yellowstone is not merely about Costner and Sheridan, it could also be considered "The Revenge of the Studio System." Unlike the typical Netflix offering, Yellowstone is old school Hollywood all the way. And it shows. And so is 1883.
3. Sam Elliot is 77 years old and has been playing the same basic character -- perfectly -- for decades. In the UK they would have knighted him by now. Seriously.
Bottom line -- at every level, 1883 represents the best that America has to offer. It is in the DNA. So just enjoy it.
((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))
- A_Different_Drummer
- Dec 18, 2021
- Permalink
This recently became available, all ten episodes, on a set of four DVDs. I found the set at my public library. There is a scene in the first episode, as a large group of people and wagons are gathering, for their trek to the North and West. They are gathering on the Trinity River outside Fort Worth, Texas, and one person is offering condolences for the husband's death. She responds, "You can't believe in Heaven then be sad when people go there." I had never heard it put that way before.
As the end credits on each episode states, the stories were "inspired" by events of the 1880s as people from Eastern areas began to move out west. Many wanted to go to specific places, like Oregon or Washington. But some just wanted to go someplace new and figured they'd know it when they see it. As was the Dutton family from the woods of Tennessee. The stories portrayed had input from historians and are largely authentic to the time and the travels to settle the West.
I didn't see "Yellowstone" season four but the DVD extras talk about flashbacks that were the inspiration for "1883", intended to be the origin story of how the Dutton clan ended up settling where they did in Montana.
The 1880s as portrayed here are rough and dangerous. Steal a wallet and you might be hanged and shot. If you are found with small pox you are banished and you might as well find a nice river bank and lie down and wait to die. Traveling was dangerous, bands of thieves or aggressive Native tribes might steal your horses, kill you and scalp you and your family. Yet they persisted. Many perished along the way, some made it.
It is overall a big investment in time to watch all ten episodes but I did it over a week and found it to be a totally captivating and worthwhile show. A few extras on the 4-disc DVD set show a number of interesting "making of" features.
As the end credits on each episode states, the stories were "inspired" by events of the 1880s as people from Eastern areas began to move out west. Many wanted to go to specific places, like Oregon or Washington. But some just wanted to go someplace new and figured they'd know it when they see it. As was the Dutton family from the woods of Tennessee. The stories portrayed had input from historians and are largely authentic to the time and the travels to settle the West.
I didn't see "Yellowstone" season four but the DVD extras talk about flashbacks that were the inspiration for "1883", intended to be the origin story of how the Dutton clan ended up settling where they did in Montana.
The 1880s as portrayed here are rough and dangerous. Steal a wallet and you might be hanged and shot. If you are found with small pox you are banished and you might as well find a nice river bank and lie down and wait to die. Traveling was dangerous, bands of thieves or aggressive Native tribes might steal your horses, kill you and scalp you and your family. Yet they persisted. Many perished along the way, some made it.
It is overall a big investment in time to watch all ten episodes but I did it over a week and found it to be a totally captivating and worthwhile show. A few extras on the 4-disc DVD set show a number of interesting "making of" features.
I haven't seen anything of "Yellowstone" yet, but I thought that, as that is set in present day, I'd probably be able to watch a prequel series set over a hundred years earlier without much fear of mixing the context. I do like Taylor Sheridan's work, particularly "Hell or High Water" so when this appeared near the top of my Paramount Plus service, I felt confident giving it a go. It's an excellent limited series, full of wonderful performances and does make me interesting in watching the main series.
Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) joins her family in a perilous Journey towards the free and fertile land of Oregon. Her father, James (Tim McGraw) agrees to take the journey with two lawmen, Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) and Thomas (LaMonica Garrett) who are commissioned to act as guide, security and teacher to a group of German pioneers, who are also looking for a better life, but are dangerously unprepared for the perils they will face. Always a rebellious child, Elsa takes to the freedom of the plains with abandon, but the costs of such freedoms are high.
Performances are great in this. Tim McGraw I've not seen in much before but he's really good in this, in what looks like the deepest performance he's been asked to do. His real-life wife, Faith Hill, plays his wife in this and she too is excellent. Isabel May is the star though; the story is told though her eyes and she gets to give the poetic voice over that is another run through. Admittedly, Sam Elliott has played wise old cowboy before, but it's an iconic trope and it's welcome whenever he's on screen. There are cameos from Rita Wilson, Billy Bob Thornton and even Tom Hanks, who is probably on screen for less than two minutes.
Admittedly, this isn't particularly original. The dangers of the Oregon Trail have been recounted in various mediums for years. So, the story of Snakes, Storms, Dysentery, Native Americans and Outlaws probably doesn't have many surprises for you. What it does have is all pervasive quality. Both in terms of historical recreation and cinematography - though I suspect in some places you simply point the camera in the right direction and the mountains do the rest.
I enjoyed this and burned through it in less than a week. I may need to start "Yellowstone" sooner rather than later.
Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) joins her family in a perilous Journey towards the free and fertile land of Oregon. Her father, James (Tim McGraw) agrees to take the journey with two lawmen, Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) and Thomas (LaMonica Garrett) who are commissioned to act as guide, security and teacher to a group of German pioneers, who are also looking for a better life, but are dangerously unprepared for the perils they will face. Always a rebellious child, Elsa takes to the freedom of the plains with abandon, but the costs of such freedoms are high.
Performances are great in this. Tim McGraw I've not seen in much before but he's really good in this, in what looks like the deepest performance he's been asked to do. His real-life wife, Faith Hill, plays his wife in this and she too is excellent. Isabel May is the star though; the story is told though her eyes and she gets to give the poetic voice over that is another run through. Admittedly, Sam Elliott has played wise old cowboy before, but it's an iconic trope and it's welcome whenever he's on screen. There are cameos from Rita Wilson, Billy Bob Thornton and even Tom Hanks, who is probably on screen for less than two minutes.
Admittedly, this isn't particularly original. The dangers of the Oregon Trail have been recounted in various mediums for years. So, the story of Snakes, Storms, Dysentery, Native Americans and Outlaws probably doesn't have many surprises for you. What it does have is all pervasive quality. Both in terms of historical recreation and cinematography - though I suspect in some places you simply point the camera in the right direction and the mountains do the rest.
I enjoyed this and burned through it in less than a week. I may need to start "Yellowstone" sooner rather than later.
- southdavid
- Oct 16, 2022
- Permalink
I just watched all of Yellowstone in a week and then started this series. Even after the first episode I was enthralled. It is even better than Yellowstone.
The actors are all perfect. The narration is perfect. The settings are perfect. I just can't find a fault in it anywhere.
It does a great job of showing just how untamed the country was back then and why the natives fought so hard to keep it. Such a travesty the way the governments treated them.
I'll certainly be looking for more content from Taylor Sheridan. But first must finish this and then watch 1923. Excited for what's to come.
This is one of the best series I've ever seen.
The actors are all perfect. The narration is perfect. The settings are perfect. I just can't find a fault in it anywhere.
It does a great job of showing just how untamed the country was back then and why the natives fought so hard to keep it. Such a travesty the way the governments treated them.
I'll certainly be looking for more content from Taylor Sheridan. But first must finish this and then watch 1923. Excited for what's to come.
This is one of the best series I've ever seen.
Sheridan has been on my auto watch list for a while. Sicario and Wind River, to some degree Yellowstone, have all been exceptional. This, however, is pretty flawless. This feels like Lonesome Dove (the novel, never saw the adaptations) only with a female narrator that leans on some nature writing that feels like Annie Dillard. The combination is entrancing.
Sheridan has really outdone himself with this script. But the actors also are just flawless. Who would have thought Tim McGraw and Faith Hill could put out performances like this. It has the air of a production where everything knew they were making something exceptional and gave a signature effort toward it. The cinematography, small, side parts, the directing, the costuming, set design, locations-it is all perfect. This is a masterpiece and is going up there as an all time favourite TV show.
Sheridan has really outdone himself with this script. But the actors also are just flawless. Who would have thought Tim McGraw and Faith Hill could put out performances like this. It has the air of a production where everything knew they were making something exceptional and gave a signature effort toward it. The cinematography, small, side parts, the directing, the costuming, set design, locations-it is all perfect. This is a masterpiece and is going up there as an all time favourite TV show.
- fraser-simons
- Oct 12, 2022
- Permalink
There's not much more to say other than that 1883 is quite simply some of the best television that has ever been produced. From the writing, to the cast, to the cinematography, every minute is a joy to watch.
- jaimemedina-36288
- Dec 26, 2021
- Permalink
- namritjoshi
- Sep 23, 2022
- Permalink
It is hard to put into words the ingenuity of this fabulous series.
The attention to every detail in order to keep this series as authentic as possible is phenomenal.
It is difficult to not fall in love with the gem of the screen, Elsa Dutton. For sure, everyone is superbly cast, but Isabel May who plays Elsa does an absolutely sublime job of portraying this strong willed, extremely ambitious, hopelessly romantic teenager. The storyline is seen through her eyes in an audible diary. And my, does this actress have a beautiful voice for narration.
After I finished this, I wanted more so I watched the Road West, (right under where you find episodes on the left of your screen). You get to hear from the actors and the amazing Taylor Sheridan regarding this truly endearing work of art.
The attention to every detail in order to keep this series as authentic as possible is phenomenal.
It is difficult to not fall in love with the gem of the screen, Elsa Dutton. For sure, everyone is superbly cast, but Isabel May who plays Elsa does an absolutely sublime job of portraying this strong willed, extremely ambitious, hopelessly romantic teenager. The storyline is seen through her eyes in an audible diary. And my, does this actress have a beautiful voice for narration.
After I finished this, I wanted more so I watched the Road West, (right under where you find episodes on the left of your screen). You get to hear from the actors and the amazing Taylor Sheridan regarding this truly endearing work of art.
I usually wait until the 4th episode before I write a review or rate a series. I don't need to do so with this series. Such a sprawling story, rich, gritty, sad, hardship. A epic story that has all the elements that make a series great. I love a good western..this is a great western....some one said it was a Lonesome Dove feel to it and I agree..what made Lonesome Dove great was the excellent story telling and this one has the same elements to it..great writing and fine acting. I love the daughter's voice tell the story it adds a depth to the story. This will be one of my favorites just like Yellowstone is. I was worried how this series would be because Yellowstone is so good..but, this series it top notch..
- boggie4758
- Dec 18, 2021
- Permalink
Haven't seen Yellowstone yet. But started with this Mini-Series. I was emotionally blown away. It grabbed me and held me all night binge watching. This needs to be awarded Best Mini-Series at the Emmys for 2023. It also should give Isabel May Best Actress, Sam Elliott Best Actor, Faith Hill Best Supporting Actress, Tim McGraw or LaMonica Garrett as best Supporting Actor. The whole cast should be awarded Best Ensemble. The Writing should win as well as Direction. This Mini-Series was really nothing sort of a 10 - Total Perfection and realism. Very corse language, but that was how real life was back then. Violent? Yes. Gut Wrenching in parts? Yes, but again the trails going out west was not a joy ride, but an extreme challenge - I highly recommend this show and will continue on with 1923 and Yellowstone. To the Television Academy - Take notice for 2023. 1883 should do a sweep if you really do honor "Performances" instead of being "politically correct".
- nobletraveler
- Jan 8, 2023
- Permalink
Ok so when John Dutton gets to Fort Worth, there's a snake oil salesman wanting $10 for some elixir. The guy at the livery wants $20 to make sure the contents of John's wagon aren't stolen, plus $2/horse (I think that's what he said?$ Later Sam Elliott says it's $200/family for something or other.
$10 in 1883 is the equivalent of about $275 today.
$20 in 1883 is about $552 today.
THERE IS NO WAY ANYONE THERE WAS THROWING AROUND THAT KIND OF MONEY!! Ffs it takes 2 seconds to google that stuff.
$10 in 1883 is the equivalent of about $275 today.
$20 in 1883 is about $552 today.
THERE IS NO WAY ANYONE THERE WAS THROWING AROUND THAT KIND OF MONEY!! Ffs it takes 2 seconds to google that stuff.
- debracurle
- Jan 22, 2022
- Permalink
Old west scenes, good guys out after the bad guys, a girl with high hopes which never go away through all the heartache. The cast supurb, well known and the not well known.
Taylor Sheridan has written the old west and old new west perfectly I hope Mr. Sheridan and the entire cast of 1883 and Yellowstone get the recognition they deserve.
I am so glad this is no Little House on the Prarie (good for it's time) This is a welcome distraction from the world today.
Taylor Sheridan has written the old west and old new west perfectly I hope Mr. Sheridan and the entire cast of 1883 and Yellowstone get the recognition they deserve.
I am so glad this is no Little House on the Prarie (good for it's time) This is a welcome distraction from the world today.
- tnicnat-58512
- Dec 18, 2021
- Permalink
Just amazing! This group behind Yellowstone and 1883 are just so amazing I can't thank you all enough for putting out a series that we can really dig into and enjoy! I was so enthralled I never wanted it to end. I only wish I could binge the whole season RIGHT NOW. Please keep making series like these. Emotional, heartfelt, relatable, and with so much depth and character! Spectacular acting! I could go on and on! Just WOW thank you. These are the people who should be winning the awards for best series, best script/writing, best acting etc. Etc. A huge thank you.
- mstaffordca
- Dec 18, 2021
- Permalink
Excellent writing, character development, story telling, and acting, particularly by Dawn Olivieri, the character of Claire, and the great Sam Elliot. Beautiful cinematography and score. I enjoyed the cameos by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Hanks. The migration west after the Civil War is one of my favorite periods in history, and the brutality of the time period and lawlessness of the Wild West was accurately portrayed.
This series has to be one of the best television series ever made for tv.
Besides how accurate it seems in relation to the struggle of the pioneers founding the country, or the love between family and how to survive a wild frontier, it demonstrates how perseverance and dreams can propel a person to do things seemingly impossible.
The writing and direction in this series has to be some of the best I've seen in a very long time.
My only hope is that it gets recognized for this in the upcoming awards seasons and that there is a second season... however unlikely that might be, considering they already have the 1923 series as a sequel.
Besides how accurate it seems in relation to the struggle of the pioneers founding the country, or the love between family and how to survive a wild frontier, it demonstrates how perseverance and dreams can propel a person to do things seemingly impossible.
The writing and direction in this series has to be some of the best I've seen in a very long time.
My only hope is that it gets recognized for this in the upcoming awards seasons and that there is a second season... however unlikely that might be, considering they already have the 1923 series as a sequel.
- lambiepie-2
- Jan 15, 2022
- Permalink
I don't like to get my hopes up... but dang. The story and plot that Sheridan has developed here is starting off STRONG. And of course they have a perfect cast to go alongside it. Plus the orchestral score of these episodes is the cherry on top of an already seemingly great work.
Really hoping they can keep this momentum up 🤞
This is the first show in *years* that has captivated me so much from the get-go.
Edit: sorry I wasn't helpful??? I didn't want to spoil anything. Really just give it a watch. It's worth it.
Really hoping they can keep this momentum up 🤞
This is the first show in *years* that has captivated me so much from the get-go.
Edit: sorry I wasn't helpful??? I didn't want to spoil anything. Really just give it a watch. It's worth it.
- vbgnqgyxjq
- Dec 18, 2021
- Permalink
I loved the first two episodes of 1883.
The whole show was amazing start to finish and i cant wait for everyone to see it tonight. Impecable writing and even enjoyed a cameo by tom hanks.
The whole show was amazing start to finish and i cant wait for everyone to see it tonight. Impecable writing and even enjoyed a cameo by tom hanks.
- vw_higgins
- Dec 18, 2021
- Permalink
Y: 1883 so far is masterfully done. The characters pull you in, the cinematography and score are beautiful, the acting is strong, and above all it feels authentic.
Taylor Sheridan has delivered. It is awesome to see the origin of the Dutton Ranch and the Dutton family. Yellowstone is such an awesome show, and Y:1883 makes both even more enthralling to watch. I can't wait to see more, and I'll definitely be logged onto Paramount Plus every week!
Taylor Sheridan has delivered. It is awesome to see the origin of the Dutton Ranch and the Dutton family. Yellowstone is such an awesome show, and Y:1883 makes both even more enthralling to watch. I can't wait to see more, and I'll definitely be logged onto Paramount Plus every week!
- ryanjohnsoniowa
- Dec 18, 2021
- Permalink
This could have been fascinating history told in its raw form. Unfortunately, the show loses its identity at certain points through out the season. The show focuses on settlers emigrating the Oregon trail and challenges they face. It then, starts to mix in narrations by a teenage girl named Elsa and her teenage drama issues. At certain points in the show I'm getting confused at who the target audience is? I felt if the writing was a consistent story towards the emigration of settlers it would have been more successful. Instead we are plagued with a mixture of teenage drama issues which becomes tedious to watch at times.
This series keeps getting dumber by the episode, and by the end of it I wish I never wasted my time watching it. Seems like it was written by a middle aged woman with the emotional maturity of an adolescent wishing she could live out her suppressed desires as a naive teenage beauty with no concern for any consequences. The result is a self-centred simplified portrayal of a cliche western romance that repeats the same two steps in every episode, with enough H to fuel the sun. It's mind-numbingly boring, and it certainly doesn't do immersion any service that some of the actors are jacked to the brim with Botox, cosmetic implants and teeth whitened more than the congress of the same period. The only thing you'll get from this series is ageing and a sore forehead from all the facepalms.