“1883” was no small project, telling the story of the ancestors of the Duttons of “Yellowstone” fame as they traveled across the country, settling in Montana at the Yellowstone ranch. Stars Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, LaMonica Garrett, Sam Elliott, and newcomer Isabel May were cast, and the schedule was apparently going to be bonkers. According to THR, Sheridan was told in April 2021 that everything was about to change quickly with the new streaming service. In his words:
“They say: ‘We’re changing everything! We’re launching this on our streaming service.’ And the first thing I said was: ‘You guys have a streaming service?’ They said, ‘Yeah, and we need this show.'”
Sheridan relayed the studio’s expectations: They needed his new series by the end of that year. He called the feat “impossible,” given the fact that “1883” wouldn’t be an easy production, and he was still set to direct two episodes of “Mayor of Kingstown.” “With this schedule, I’m in production on episode six on the day episode six is supposed to air,” he told THR. “How are we going to do that? Let’s pretend like we do this for a living.”