1923 Star Says Taylor Sheridan Hasn't Revealed Details of the Yellowstone Family Tree

Thanks to prequel spinoffs 1883 and 1923, fans of Taylor Sheridan's wildly popular Yellowstone know quite a bit about the history of the series' Dutton family, but it turns out there are still quite a few mysteries and surprises in store — particularly when it comes to the family tree. The biggest current mystery is who, exactly, is the grandfather of Kevin Costner's Yellowstone character, John Dutton. At the outset of 1923, fans thought they had things sorted out and that Jack (Darren Mann) or John Dutton Sr. (James Badge Dale) would be his grandfather. However, that changed when the series' third episode saw John Sr. killed while Jack's fiancée Elizabeth (Michelle Randolph) was shot in the abdomen after an attack by Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn). The incident caused many fans to assume that Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) may end up being the grandfather in question, but according to Sklenar, that's a detail that Sheridan hasn't revealed just yet.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Sklenar said that while he has his own theories, Sheridan hasn't revealed how things play out just yet.

"It's something that Taylor is keeping very close to the vest," Sklenar said. "I have my own theories, but it's to be told, to be written, to be seen. He's always moving all that stuff around."

Dale had previously said roughly something similar, that Sheridan is always changing things so there's no way to know how it will ultimately come out.

"I don't know the tree. We need a flow chart. I've seen them online, when people have tried to create them, Dale said. "I don't know if those are accurate or not. And here's the thing, this is Taylor's universe. We could be saying one thing or thinking one thing and Taylor can decide something else and we'll be watching 1942 and realize it's a little different and he'll change it up."

What's next for Spencer Dutton on 1923?

While the Dutton family tree seems to be a mystery in progress, one thing that is for certain is that Spencer Dutton, along with his own love, Alex, is headed back to Montana, but his return may not be an easy one.

"I can say that he immediately takes action to getting home," Sklenar says about what Spencer does upon learning about events at home (via TVLine). "It doesn't get easier for anybody, I can say that, in classic Taylor Sheridan fashion."

When does 1923 return?

Fortunately for fans, there isn't too much longer to wait before 1923 returns. The series will be back with new episodes on Sunday, February 5th on Paramount+.

What is 1923 about?

1923, the next installment of the Dutton family origin story, will introduce a new generation of Duttons led by patriarch Jacob (Ford) and matriarch Cara (Mirren). The series will explore the early twentieth century when pandemics, historic drought, the end of Prohibition and the Great Depression all plague the mountain west, and the Duttons who call it home.

In addition to Ford 1923 also stars Helen Mirren, Darren Mann ("Animal Kingdom"), Michelle Randolph ("A Snow White Christmas"), James Badge Dale ("Hightown"), Marley Shelton ("Scream"), Brian Geraghty ("Big Sky"), Aminah Nieves ("Blueberry"), and Jerome Flynn ("Game of Thrones").