There’s a lot going on in the Yellowstone universe, including the ongoing news about season 2 of 1923. The Yellowstone prequel series was given the green light a while back, and updates since then have been rolling in sporadically. Anyone who watched season 1 will want to know more about how the process has been going, and alas, there are indeed things to know about the cast, filming schedule, and so much more.
1923, created by Taylor Sheridan (starring none other than Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren), blew fans away with its riveting plot and cliffhanger of a finale in the first season. It told the story of a different generation in the Dutton family and showed how everything came to be. There’s a lot to unravel in this upcoming season. If you need a refresher: The early leaders of the Dutton ranch—Jacob and Cara Dutton—were last seen leaving court with a hard loss. Alex and Spencer were headed to Montana to help the family, but even after hopping onto their third boat—they still couldn’t manage to find their way there. In fact, the couple is forced to separate after a dramatic fight between Alex’s ex-fiancée and Spencer ensues.
A lot of questions remain unanswered, but it’s clear everyone is ready for one thing: new episodes! Read on for all the details we know about 1923 season 2, including what it will be about, updates about when the series will return, cast news, and more.
When will 1923 season 2 premiere?
Right now, there is no confirmed premiere date, but Brandon Sklenar, the actor who plays Spencer Dutton on 1923, gave a brief update when speaking to Fox News on the red-carpet at the 2024 Golden Globes back in January. When asked about working with Ford and Mirren, he mentioned that while he hadn’t directly filmed with them in the first season, he will in the second season.
“I will [work with Ford and Mirren] in the last eight episodes that we’re about to start,” he told the reporter.
Also, it has recently been confirmed that 1923 will no longer be filming in Montana, which is where most of its scenes were shot in season 1. This is mainly due to state tax reasons (which are always complicated). 1923 will now be officially filmed in Austin, Texas.
JP Gallagher, the chief executive of Butte-Silver Bow County, Montana, recently spoke about this filming update by sharing that it was “disappointing.”
“Nevertheless, we respect the production team’s decision and acknowledge that these choices are influenced by factors beyond our control,” he continued. “We were in talks with the production about 1923 coming back to Butte because of the positive experience they had here, but state tax incentive programs were a major factor for the production to move to Texas.”
Also, the Austin American Statesman did state that filming is set to start in Texas in July, going all the way to September.
Who will star in the cast of 1923?
Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren will still be the leading actors! They play the tough-as-nails Jacob Dutton and Cara Dutton. We also know that Brandon Sklenar is expected to come back as Spencer (given the aforementioned interview), while Julia Schlaepfer will make her return as Alex, confirmed when she spoke about the future of the show to Collider. As far as new members goes: there are some pretty hefty updates.
Television actress, Jennifer Carpenter, will be jumping onboard the Western series, according to recent reports by Deadline. If you recognize her name, then you’ve likely seen Carpenter in shows like Dexter and Limitless. She will be portraying Mamie Fossett, a character described to be a U.S. Deputy Marshall known for making the arrests in her town. Whether she will act in the favor of the Duttons is not yet known—but that answer will come with time!
What happened to the Dutton ranch in 1923?
Alright, saddle up because you’re in for a wild ride.
Starting with the aforementioned court debacle between Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford) and Banner (Jerome Flynn)—the latter was on trial for two counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder—tipped to the sheriff by Jacob. But in the finale, Banner is acquitted of these charges and released without bail. (He hired Whitfield—a witty, expensive lawyer.) Immediately after the trial concludes, Banner does what he does best: taunt the Duttons and even gives Jack a nice punch to the face. (It was the ’20s, so that must’ve been a celebration antic held up in court. 🤷♀️) Banner also threatened Jacob’s life for everyone to hear.
We later see Banner talking to Whitfield, seemingly plotting for violent revenge. However, his lawyer convinces him that financial ruin is a better plot. And this seems to work because Jacob and Cara—who face fiscal problems regarding their ranch, were denied a loan to pay off their debts.
This enables Whitfield to take control. He ends up paying off the Dutton’s debt, giving the family til the year’s end to pay it back. If they fail to do so, well… they lose the ranch.
What happened to Spencer and Alex in 1923?
Alex and Spencer’s journey has a bit tumultuous. We’ve been waiting (for what seems like forever) for them to make it to Montana. Spencer is essentially the Dutton ranch’s last hope, so the longevity of his trip back is somewhat frustrating. Alex and Spencer finally board a third, fancier ship to their destination, and all seems promising. But that’s until they run into Arthur, Alex’s jealous and spiteful ex-fiancé. Arthur and his family are passengers on the same boat—and are less than happy to see that Alex has moved on so quickly. (We find out that Alex left Arthur rather suddenly, just moments before they were to be married.) After days of tension and much hostility, Arthur drunkenly challenges Spencer to a sword duel. Though everyone is against this idea, the two eventually battle it out, with Spencer defeating Arthur a little too fast. Not sitting well with Arthur, he pulls out a gun and aims to shoot (possibly kill) Spencer. So, as an act of defense, Spencer throws Arthur off the boat—more than likely killing Arthur.
It’s now worth mentioning that Arthur’s family were royals back in London. (His father is the Earl of Sussex!) So this gave his family a full range of power on the boat, which they used to imprison Spencer. However, the boat’s captain agreed that Spencer acted in self-defense, freeing him of the charge. But Spencer is forcibly removed from the ship at the next port while Alex is trapped, inevitably keeping her on. The two scramble as they are separated, shouting one last emotional goodbye to each other, with Alex promising that she will find him.
What will 1923 season 2 be about?
Given the major cliffhangers we were left with in season 1, we can expect 1923 season 2 to hopefully answer some of our questions. Will Alex be reunited with Spencer? And how will Jacob and Cara manage to save their family’s land? Only time will tell!
