Sam Elliott might have given his all to 1883, but don’t ask him about Yellowstone. Elliott’s a leading member of the 1883 cast, and the prequel series is the furthest back we’ve seen the Yellowstone timeline thus far. The ten-episode show chronicles how the Dutton family came to settle in Montana, with Elliott playing the role of Shea Brennan — a gruff Civil War veteran who leads the wagon train along with James Dillard Dutton (Tim McGraw).
But despite Yellowstone being one of the best TV series around — successful enough to even warrant a prequel like 1883 in the first place — Elliott made it clear in an interview with Marc Maron that not only does he not watch the show, but he also doesn’t like it very much.
“I’m not a Yellowstone fan. I don’t watch Yellowstone,” he admitted. “I love Costner. There’s a lot of good people on the cast, a few of them I’ve worked with before—nothing against any of them—but it’s just too much like fucking Dallas or something for me.”
Dallas was a Western soap opera that ran between 1978 and 1991. Despite going down in history as one of the best drama series on primetime television, it was often criticized for its seemingly outlandish levels of melodrama.
Still, despite Elliott’s clear respect for the Yellowstone cast, this isn’t the first time he’s opened up about his disdain for the show. In an interview with Taste of Country, he even went as far as saying that the flagship drama “tainted” 1883.
“Yellowstone is all over this. We’re tainted by Yellowstone, which, on some level, I can’t stand,” he explained, “Because I think 1883 stands alone and will. Once it comes out, people are gonna say, ‘Oh, yeah — the only connection there is that it got John Dutton to Montana.”
If you’re wondering whether we’ll see more of the Dutton’s journey and early life in Montana, here’s what we know about a potential 1883 season 2 release date. Or, explore some of the other Yellowstone spin-offs with our guides to the 1923 cast, Yellowstone 1923 season 2 release date, and the Yellowstone 6666 release date.
It might be a while until the Yellowstone season 5 part 2 release date, but in the meantime, you can look at our articles explaining John Dutton, Jamie Dutton, Beth Dutton, Rip Wheeler, the best Yellowstone episodes, and all the Yellowstone series ranked (1883 is the best, obviously).