Harrison Ford Doesn’t Think Yellowstone Is Good TV?
Harrison Ford has called Yellowstone, "un-television."
Harrison Ford is the new star of the hit Yellowstone prequel, 1923, alongside Helen Mirren. Ford joining a TV series was shocking enough, but now that reasoning could be because Ford doesn’t think the Yellowstone universe is TV at all. According to an interview he did with the New York Times, “They keep calling it television, but it’s so un-television… It is, you know, a huge vista…It’s an incredibly ambitious story that he’s telling on an epic scale.”
To be honest, Harrison Ford does have a point, as Yellowstone has certainly evolved into something more than just a TV show. The original mainline series has already birthed two sequels in 1883 and 1923, the latter starring Ford. Also, there are two more spinoffs being planned: 6666 and 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, which is likely to not be the last either.
Although these are all TV shows, Harrison Ford is speaking more to the grander Yellowstone universe that has certainly moved past being considered just normal television. Take 1883, for example — the series tells the story of the first Dutton family members that headed out West for glory. Now, we understand more about the original hit series that stars Kevin Costner, as his characters’ descendants showcase what they had to do to strike it rich.
The overall story being connected by so many shows could be what Harrison Ford is alluding to when he stated Yellowstone is “un-television.” To make a better example of this, Stranger Things is certainly a show, but the last season contained episodes that all felt like mini-movies. All the Yellowstone properties feel like that already, which could be why Ford called the work a “huge vista.”
Taylor Sheridan has certainly built something quite special, as Yellowstone has arguably been the biggest show on TV. The original series could end up being as impactful as Breaking Bad has been. Harrison Ford is also a spectacular actor, so we are happy that his level of talent along with Mirren’s was brought into the Yellowstone universe.
The same can be said for 1883, as actors like Sam Elliot were brought on to truly add to the special feeling that Yellowstone has tried to capture across its many spin-offs. We are not sure how 1883: The Bass Reeves Story is going to be received, as the new series is going to combine real history along with likely interweaving the fiction of the Dutton family. Still, the series will likely be well-received, much like Harrison Ford’s 1923.
We would also imagine that Taylor Sheridan is likely going to incorporate movies into this growing universe. Harrison Ford starring in a 1923 movie would be fantastic, and would certainly add more to his comments that Yellowstone is not TV. The longevity of the Yellowstone universe is likely not to end anytime soon, but we would bet that movies would be the next plan for Sheridan moving forward.
Harrison Ford can be seen on the Yellowstone spinoff, 1923, which is currently going through its first season on Paramount+. Episode 5 is set to debut on the streaming platform on February 5. The last half of Yellowstone Season 6 is likely to be released sometime later this year, or in Q1 of 2024.
