With the end of 1923, fans of the Taylor Sheridan drama are likely wondering what’s next for the famed Yellowstone Universe. While Sheridan and Paramount seem to have various Yellowstone spin-offs in the works, the events of “A Dream and a Memory” seem to open the door for more Dutton stories set in the past — or perhaps give us a small glimpse into certain tales in the future. With the reveal that Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) had another son besides John Dutton (most likely the ancestor of Kevin Costner’s character of the same name), is it possible that this child will factor into Yellowstone’s future, perhaps even the next spin-off? We think so, but there are various avenues through which this story could unfold.

Spencer Dutton’s Second Son Could Factor Into the Next ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel
Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) holds up a rifle on ‘1923’Image via Paramount+
Ever since the 1944 prequel was announced, we have been largely in the dark regarding what it will be about. Of course, the year itself tells us that it will be set at the tail end of World War II, and it’s possible that John Dutton (Spencer’s son, not Costner’s character) may even be serving overseas during the conflict. If that’s true, then the boy will be following in his father’s footsteps in more ways than one, as he will certainly return afterward to help run the Dutton Ranch long before his own son is ever born. But where does that leave Spencer’s other son? Well, we don’t know anything about this child (not even a name), so it’s possible he either wasn’t old enough yet to go to war. Alternatively, he, too, may have fought the Axis Powers in either the European or Pacific theaters.

Either way, 1944 could pick up with much of the same cast, undoubtedly after Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Cara (Helen Mirren) have long passed on. In this sense, 1944 could effectively serve as a third season to 1923, albeit with a massive time jump. Considering there is still a Ned Dutton and a Chance Dutton that we don’t know much about, it’s possible he could even be one of them. Of course, we also don’t know what the relationship was like between John and his younger brother. Were they friends? Enemies? Did one brother hate the other in a biblical sense? There is a lot that 1944 could explore, and it seems that with 1923’s heartbreaking finale, there may just be material to make something out of.

Of course, because we know just next to nothing about Spencer’s other son, it’s hard to speculate about how he could be involved in future Yellowstone universe installments. We know that Spencer never married the boy’s mother, also a widow, so it’s possible that Spencer’s other child never took his last name. If that’s the case, there could be some real conflict between John I and his half-brother, conflict that could eventually turn bloody if Spencer’s second-born challenges John’s claim to the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch as the only legitimate one. There’s plenty of story potential here, but how it will play out is still beyond us. However, it’s possible that there are some other relatives out there who have made their way into the 21st-century narrative, whether they have taken the Dutton name for themselves or not.

A man in a cowboy hat poses in front of a western scene with a train track in Hell on Wheels.
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Could Spencer Dutton’s Other Son Connect to ‘The Madison’ Spin-Off?

Going off the idea that Spencer’s other son may not share his surname, it could also be possible that this is how Taylor Sheridan intends to connect the Dutton drama of Yellowstone to the events of his contemporary spin-off series, The Madison. We don’t know a lot about the Michelle Pfeiffer-led neo-Western, but we do know that it is set to follow the McIntosh family, who come originally from New York City, only to settle near the Madison River in Montana. Could it be that Spencer’s other son is actually a McIntosh? Perhaps The Madison will follow Spencer’s other line of descendants in the same way that Yellowstone follows his and Alex’s (Julia Schlaepfer) line post-1923? It could certainly tie the whole thing together.

Because we know so little about The Madison (though we do know that at least some of the series has already been shot), there is still a breadth of potential for what this show could be. Sure, it could follow some long-lost rejected Duttons who left Montana down the line only to return so many decades later, or it could center on a new family entirely, one which holds no connection to the previous installments. However, considering the way that Taylor Sheridan loves to connect his Yellowstone shows, it feels like this theory about Spencer’s second son could be a real possibility. As the Yellowstone universe continues to expand via prequels, sequels, and spin-offs, there is a lot to look forward to if you’re already a fan of these Western dramas.

1923 is available for streaming on Paramount+.