Critic Reviews

This just might be the greatest Western on TV since “Lonesome Dove” some 30 years ago.

1883’s unflinching depiction of its setting and characters gives the series a sense of gravitas, which it balances with tenderness. This series displays the worst of humanity, but the series offers more than just a glimmer of hope. A blend of perseverance and optimism through backbreaking times gives 1883 the potential to be the prestige western fans of the genre have been waiting for.

Make some popcorn and plan to watch the two-episode origin story in one sitting. It might be the most satisfying addition to the Western genre since Godless.

"Yellowstone" has always been the kind of show that it seems like Sam Elliott should be in — in the series, Forrie J. Smith plays a senior ranch hand who looks like he could be Elliott's stunt double — so it's fitting that Sheridan has found a way to weave him into "Yellowstone's" DNA. "1883" is expansive enough to stand on its own, but its ties to the original series give it grounding. We know where it's eventually headed, but that doesn't take away from the journey of getting there.

Sheridan ain’t reinventing the wheel with “1883,” but it is a bold-faced “Yellowstone” prequel, so it’s not like they were trying to hide the lineage.

'1883' never feels like a perfunctory franchise expansion. ... But the writing isn’t without its snags. ... Still, '1883' has the characters, the scope, and the vision to become an exciting new chapter of the 'Yellowstone' franchise.

Strap down your Stetson, ’cause it’s a grim, bumpy ride—one so dark at times it threatens to overshadow even the most golden sweeping sunsets on those untamed Great Plains.

We’re concerned about the pacing of 1883 and how it depicts Indigenous people, but the story is compelling, and Sam Elliott’s multi-layered lead performance is more than enough to keep us interested.

Overall, 1883 is a grand, well-made Western adventure that fans of the genre and the less soapy parts of Yellowstone will enjoy, should they choose to embark on the perilous journey from cable into the streaming frontier.

Westerns were plentiful in TV's early days and are now fairly rare, so it's always somewhat refreshing to see an ambitious show within that genre. But to paraphrase the advice Dutton receives, when you have the opportunity to mount a series of this scale in the rough-and-tumble frontier of streaming, you better know how to do it a little better than this.