1923,the second spin-off series to Taylor Sheridan’s epic Western cinematic empire, brings the Dutton story into the 20th century. Set in a world rife with the hardships of drought, prohibition, and the early stages ofthe Great Depression, the show depicts modern life slowly encroaching on the Old West. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren star as Jacob and Cara Dutton, the patriarch and matriarch of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, founded by the former’s brother, James (Tim McGraw). As they cling to a world that is passing them by, they’re faced with great enemies that seek to take what’s theirs: Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) and Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn).
Jack (Darren Mann), Jacob’s grandnephew, helps them run the ranch and is engaged to city girl Liz Strafford (Michelle Randolph), who also resides in the family home. Their nephew Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) faces obstacles on his journey back home, but along the way, he also finds love with Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer). Weaved into the tale are also the gripping chronicles of Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves), as the fierce, spirited Crow native teen escapes her oppressors.
From least to most likable, here’s how the main characters of1923stack up.
10Donald Whitfield
Played by Timothy Dalton
Paradise Valley’sbiggest, baddest villainis the conniving, power-hungry mining tycoon Donald Whitfield. He has terrorized the Duttons from the beginning, with the aim of squeezing the family out of their ranch for complete takeover. Season 1 ends with him paying the Yellowstone Ranch’s property taxes, so the land will default to him if Jacob can’t afford the bill. In Season 2, Episode 4, he unveils his plans to transform the Duttons' hundreds of acres into a winter park resort for the wealthy.
A Vile Sadist
The British-American millionaire is more than just a threat to the Duttons. Whitfield is an evil man devoid of any human emotion or ounce of empathy, who takes pleasure in sadism and gets off on manipulating others. After forcing two sex workers (Madison Elise Rogers as Lindy and Cailyn Rice as Christy) to beat each other, he influences one into gaining the upper hand, keeping the other one beaten and tied up at all times as their “doll.” When she dies from the abuse, he dispatches Lindy to find a new plaything they can dehumanize, mistreat, and degrade.
9Father Renaud
Played by Sebastian Roché
The illustrious Sebastian Roché gives a chilling, compelling portrayal as the emblem of one of the greatest malignancies in American history, men and women of the cloth who ethnically abused Native American children into forced assimilation. Tragically,1923’s North Dakota Boarding School for Native Americans gives a fairly accurate depiction of what these institutions were like for Indigenous kids. According to a 2022Interior Department report, 408 federal Native American boarding schools subjected children to beatings, sexual abuse, forced labor, and malnutrition. Roughly 53 different schools had burial sites.
The Face of Evil
Just like in real life, Father Renaud’snuns and clergymenran the school with such brutality that it necessitated a graveyard. Renaud himself, who truly believes himself to be the righteous and mortal authority on earth, partook in abuse. His hypocrisy knows no bounds. He and the Catholic Church have committed the greatest of sins, while Teonna has only ever defended herself and sought to bring justice to her abusers. His obsession with her has left a trail of bodies behind him. Yet, still, he believes himself to be good. There’s nothing Christian about this man who knows nothing but prejudice and evil.
8Banner Creighton
Played by Jerome Flynn
Banner Creighton holds the honor of being the first antagonist to be introduced in1923, as he immediately comes into conflict with Jacob when he allows his herd of sheep to feed on the grass on Yellowstone Ranch property. Not heeding the Dutton patriarch’s warning, he does it a second time, leading to him being strung up on a tree. This leads Banner to rally his men for a shootout, which takes the lives of multiple members of the Dutton clan.
A Man Scorned
His rivalry with the Duttons drives him to join forces with Whitfield towage war on the family. Banner knows exactly the type of man he’s entangling himself with, and has even admitted how afraid he is of Whitfield, but his greed and hunger for power are too strong. Banner claims to be doing what he’s doing to provide his family with a better life, but he’s not above murder to accomplish it. Not to mention that he’s actually putting his wife and son in danger by association with the likes of Whitfield. Although he’s shown glimpses of hesitation, he continues doing Whitfield’s dirty work.
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7Jack Dutton
Played by Darren Mann
During the events of1923, Jack Dutton is the youngest of the family. Son of John and Emma Dutton (played by James Badge Dale and Marley Shelton), he tragically loses his parents in Season 1 after Banner attacks the family. Despite his brash, impulsive, and headstrong qualities, he displays great honor and duty, showing great promise to become a cowboy fit to carry on the Dutton legacy. With Jacob taking him under his wing and instilling in him invaluable lessons, there’s no doubt Jack can go far.
A Wild-Spirited Cowboy With Room to Grow
His most annoying trait, perhaps, is his cluelessness when it comes to his new wife, Liz. He repeatedly abandons her. After the attack that got her shot and took her father’s life, Jack ignores her, which could be excused by his own grief, but nevertheless, they both needed each other. Following the wolf attack, Liz nearly leaves him, and Jack could have been working harder to keep her. Because he’s still an inexperienced husband, he gets some grace. There’s potential in him yet.
6Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Strafford
Played by Michelle Randolph
Although Liz was born to parents who owned and operated the Strafford Ranch in Montana, she knows nothing about that kind of life. Growing up, she was sent to spend the school years and winters in the East Coast city of Boston. So, when she moves into the Dutton home ahead of her wedding to Jack, she struggles with acclimating to her new lifestyle and surroundings, as well as dealing with her significant other’s long absences.
The Girl Is a Keeper
The poor girl has gone through a loton the Yellowstone Ranch. She’s been shot, she lost her father, and her mother abandoned her. That big wedding she dreamed of was postponed and then canceled. Later, she miscarries her baby. Most recently, she was attacked by a rabid wolf. The Duttons, as well as viewers, may see Liz as someone fragile who just needs to learn to suck it up and endure, but she’s trying her hardest. Slowly, she’s also growing into every bit the fighter her in-laws are. It takes strength to abandon one’s old comfortable life for one that’s much harsher. Liz, however, is a fiercely devoted woman to Jack. He truly lucked out.
5Spencer Dutton
Played by Brandon Sklenar
Spencer Dutton is the last surviving son of1883’s James and Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill). His sister Elsa (Isabel May), narrator of1923, met her fate before he was born. After the death of their parents, Spencer and John stood steadfast on the family property until their uncle Jacob and Aunt Cara arrived. The show hints at his complicated history before Africa and starting his way back to Montana. Undoubtedly, Spencer faced great horrors during the Great War. When he meets Alex, a softer side is shown to the rugged war-veteran-turned-skilled-hunter.
A Softie Beneath a Cool Exterior
Spencer’s mysterious and brooding qualities naturally draw audiences towards his character. He is acomplex man, with countless layers to peel back. Although he showcases a hardened exterior, there’s a softness and tenderness in him that makes him truly lovable. His romance with Alex is the franchise’s most epic and romantic love story, which only adds to his allure. His character arc and arduous journey make him one of the most gripping characters in1923.
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4Alexandra ‘Alex’ Dutton
Played by Julia Schlaepfer
The Dutton men know how to choose their women wisely; Spencer’snewly wedded wife,Alex, is no exception. They meet in Africa while she’s on a safari with her then fiancé, Arthur II (Rafe Soule), the son of the Earl of Sussex (Bruce Davison). Alex instantly gravitates to Spencer. As he leaves for his next expedition, she quite literally runs away from her fiancé, dumping him to embrace the unknown with the big game hunter — an admirable, bold move for a woman of her time.
A Resilient Character
Alex, a countess, gave up an aristocratic life in the lap of luxury, not for a man, but to live a life on her own terms filled with rich experiences. Since making the decision, she has greatly evolved from someone privileged and inexperienced to the most resilient character in1923. Giving up social obligations and social appearances has come with increasingly harrowing challenges, which have only gotten worse as she sets out to Montana to reunite with her husband. Despite the ugliness and violence she has faced, she hasn’t let it break her. Instead, it has made her more determined. Leave it to Alex to defy and intimidate an immigration official into granting her passage into America.
3Jacob Dutton
Played by Harrison Ford
The iconic Harrison Ford perfectly embodies the typical gritty Dutton man, giving his character a charming rugged wisdom that makes him easy to love. When the series begins, it’s revealed that Jacob and his wife arrived in Montana after his brother’s death, only to find his sister-in-law dead from hypothermia and his two nephews vulnerable, starved, and alone. Taking John and Spencer on as their own, he and Cara worked tirelessly to take on his brother’s dream and protect the legacy of the boys.
A True Family Man
Jacob does what he does, not for himself, but for the family.Building Yellowstone Ranch into something of an empireand making sure the family keeps a hold of it has won him many enemies along the way, but none that he has ever been afraid to face. The man would lay his life down on the line if it meant protecting Spencer’s patrimony, and he has. As the wise man he is, he’s aware that he doesn’t always know best, and he trusts those around him to make decisions with him (and for him). Jacob also has a sweet side to him that’s evident in his interactions with Cara and Liz.
2Cara Dutton
Played by Helen Mirren
The talented Helen Mirren brings her star power tomatriarch Cara Dutton. Over the years, she helped her husband expand the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, building it into something great and fruitful. Her grit and strength match those of her husband, who she’s unconditionally loyal and devoted to. A mother to her nephews, she raised John and Spencer as if they were her own flesh and blood. A clever, fierce, fearless woman with a heart of gold, she’s one of the franchise’s best characters.
A Woman Men Should Fear
Cara goes above and beyond as a leader to the family. When Jacob is nearly killed, she takes his place in the Montana Livestock Commission. She stands up to both Banner Creighton and Donald Whitfield, never cowering in the face of their threats. In her, Liz finds a maternal figure to advise and guide her. Cara knows how to remain stern but kind. She’s the definition of a trailblazing pioneer woman.
1Teonna Rainwater
Played by Aminah Nieves
Teonna Rainwater is among Taylor Sheridan’s strongest, most likable characters. When the Crow native teen is introduced, she’s suffering the most horrible of nightmares,like many indigenouschildren of the time, inside an abusive Catholic boarding school. The brutal horrors she faced within its walls could not break her spirit. Teonna has never been afraid to spit in the face of her oppressors. Like Alex, Teonna is resilient and determined.
More Than Her Trauma
It’s precisely her remarkable strength and perseverance that have kept her alive. What Teonna has done to escape her abusers is nothing short of admirable and remarkable. Yes, even, murder. It was kill or be killed. Those nuns and clergymen deserved a lot worse than they got. Their deaths were a mercy compared to what they must be facing in hell. Even as they worked tirelessly to strip her of her identity and heritage, Teonna clung tightly to it, letting it be the things to drive her towards freedom.
