Will they make a season 2 of 1883? That's the big question following the huge success of the first series.
In What to Watch’s review of the 1883 season 1 finale, we called it a completely satisfying journey. But was it also the actual end of the 1883 TV show?
It had previously been reported by outlets (What to Watch included) that 1883 season 2 had been ordered, but series creator Taylor Sheridan has weighed in and potentially poured some cold water on that idea.
Speaking with Deadline following the 1883 season 1 finale, Sheridan was asked specifically if he “is finished with this saga [1883]?”
"I created this peek through time to show you this one specific journey," said Sheridan. "On to the next peek through the window. … For me, as a storyteller it feels close ended. I’m going to peek through the window of a different era and see what I see then."
SPOILER ALERT in case you have not yet watched 1883 season 1 episode 10, but the events of the finale certainly lend credence to the story of 1883 being complete.
As predicted by many, Elsa (Isabel May) does die from her arrow wound and is buried on the land that will become the Yellowstone ranch. Elsewhere, Shea (Sam Elliott) makes it to the beach in Oregon and kills himself to rejoin his wife, while Thomas (LaMonica Garrett), Noemi (Gratiela Brancusi) and Josef (Marc Rissmann) set about making their new lives.
The only potential loose end from 1883 season 1 is the James and Margaret Dutton (Tim McGraw and Faith Hill) needing to to build the ranch, though fans of Yellowstone already saw bits and pieces of this story as flashbacks in Yellowstone season 4.
However, it sounds like Sheridan is more interested in moving on to a new generation of Duttons, which has already been confirmed with 1932. This new series will follow the Dutton family as they deal with Prohibition, the Great Depression and large westward expansion.
“I don’t think of any of these as spinoffs, but rather as complete stories that have common roots,” Sheridan told Deadline. “My goal with the next one would be that you could never have seen 1883 or Yellowstone, and still have a fully realized experience as a viewer.”
Now, let’s clear up some confusion about the reports that an 1883 season 2 had been ordered. On Feb. 15, before the final two episodes of 1883 were released, Paramount Plus announced that “more of its hit series from Taylor Sheridan, 1883, is planned for the service …”. In hindsight, that is a very open-ended statement that can mean many things other than a full second season of the show.
So is this the official end of 1883? It seems like season 2 is no longer a definite, at least in the near future, but never say never after the show generated a solid fan base and has been the biggest success of Paramount Plus to date.
