Does the ‘1883’ Cast Look Familiar? Here’s Where You’ve Seen Them Before

I’ve been a longtime Yellowstone stan and am frankly miffed it has taken so long for the neo-Western drama to return…which it thankfully is on November 10, 2024 for the last half of its purported final season. I’ve been keeping up with the offscreen drama, with the Dutton family saga in peril due to rumors that Kevin Costner was leaving the show, but have been happily keeping busy diving deep into spinoffs (1923, 1883, 1944, 2024, 6666).

My current favorite is 1883, which premiered at the end of 2021 and is worth an initial binge (or even re-watch) before the debut of the last part of Yellowstone. Why? The scenery, action and poignancy of this ten-episode narrative arc is arguably equal to or yes, even superior to the four seasons of Yellowstone. (Argh, at this rate, I’m going to have to indulge in my cowboy fantasies IRL by visiting Lee Dutton’s ranch.) Why? Because the top talent that showrunner Taylor Sheridan has assembled gets to leave everything in the scorched earth of the American battlefields and wilderness they traverse in hopes of a better future—in only 10 episodes.

And about those actors—they’re super compelling (just like the Yellowstone cast), as well as somewhat familiar. (Also, there are some fascinating callbacks, like how series narrator Elsa Dutton has the looks and sass of Yellowstone fan-favorite Beth Dutton, born four generations later.) I promise once you start watching, get ready to carve out time for the ten one-hour episodes to take you away. And here’s a deep dive into each of their previous credits.

• Tim McGraw at James Dutton
• Faith Hill as Margaret Dutton
• Isabel May as Elsa Dutton
• Sam Elliott as Shea Brennan
• LaMonica Garrett as Thomas
• Marc Rissmann as Josef
• Billy Bob Thornton as Marshal Jim Courtright
• Eric Nelsen as Ennis
• Gratiela Brancusi as Noemi
• Tom Hanks as General George Meade
• Rita Wilson as Carolyn
• Martin Sensmeier as Sam
• Graham Greene as Spotted Eagle