‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘Y: 1883’ Set For Paramount+ Under Mega New Taylor Sheridan Overall Deal With ViacomCBS & MTV Entertainment

Nellie Andreeva
·3 min read
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Yellowstone co-creator/executive producer Taylor Sheridan has signed a massive new overall deal with ViacomCBS and MTV Entertainment Group for multiple new series, starting with Yellowstone prequel Y: 1883 for Paramount+, which will be unveiled with a teaser Sunday during the Super Bowl on CBS. (You can watch it above.)

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According to sources, the pact, said to be for five years, is in the nine-figure range and could reach $150 million in success. That would put Sheridan in the top tier of TV’s highest-paid showrunners.

Under the pact, Oscar and Golden Globe nominee Sheridan will create exclusive multi-platform content with MTV Entertainment Studios and his Yellowstone partner 101 Studios, delivering five seasons of new or returning series every year exclusively for the ViacomCBS brands, including Yellowstone‘s home Paramount Network, Paramount+ and CBS.

Set to premiere later this year, Y: 1883 follows the Dutton family as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America. It is a stark retelling of Western expansion, and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land: Montana.

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“Taylor Sheridan is a visionary creative whose work has reinvented genres and amassed fan bases around the globe; we are thrilled he calls ViacomCBS and MTV Entertainment his home,” said Chris McCarthy, president of MTV Entertainment. “We couldn’t be more excited to build upon our partnership with him, expand the Yellowstone universe and showcase Taylor’s boundless talent across all of our brands and platforms.”

The pact takes over Sherdon’s previous overall deal with MTV Entertainment Group signed a year ago. It follows the continuous success of Yellowstone, cable’s most watched drama.

The Paramount Network show’s third season was the most watched season premiere on cable in two years, drawing a record-breaking 6.5 million total viewers in Live+3. The Kevin Costner-starring series, co-created by Sheridan and John Linson, also has developed a passionate fan following and social media presence.

“I am excited to continue the story of Yellowstone and thank you to Chris, Keith and David for allowing me to keep on expanding the family for the fans,” Sherdan said.

Y: 1883 will be executive produced by Sheridan, John Linson, Art Linson, David Glasser, David Hutkin and Bob Yari.

It will be the sole representative of the Yellowstone franchise on Paramount+ as the mothership series streams on rival Peacock.

“Taylor Sheridan is a master at world-building and has a singular voice that makes him one of today’s standout creators making must-watch content,” said David Glasser, CEO of 101 Studios. “Our mission at 101 is to produce content that provokes culture conversations with renowned creators at the helm of our projects, and that is exactly what we envision for this collaboration. This deal is an extension of our longstanding relationship with both ViacomCBS, MTV Entertainment Group and Taylor and we are very much looking forward to our future projects.”

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