1923

It is the subplot of 1923 that most interests me. The scenes from a cruel school for indigenous young women run by the sadistic nun Sister Mary (Jennifer Ehle) and a strap-happy and possibly pervy priest, Father Renaud (Sebastian Roché), were horrific and brilliantly done. ... Helen Mirren is always hugely watchable and here she also does a decent Irish accent as Cara Dutton. ... Ford is reliably weighty too.

Just take it on its own merits and it’s a classy product. ... Ford and Mirren have a comfortable chemistry as husband and wife.

Mirren and Ford – both 80-ish, neither a stranger to action badassery – make for such a potent pairing, their chemistry alone is enough to make “1923” feel like an elevated version of Sheridan’s neo-Western fare. ... “1923” keeps a lot of plates spinning, consistent with Sheridan’s plot-forward style. (The pilot is bookended with two violent deaths and concludes with a jump scare, lest anyone think being set in such a bummer of a time makes the show any less pulpy or fun.)

Paramount+ only made the first episode available for review, and it’s a taut hour of drama with a few moments of levity courtesy of Ford’s trademark, low-key sarcasm.

It’s still unclear from the first episode alone how all of the storylines will inevitably converge, or if all of the storylines even work to begin with, but if executed correctly, Sheridan’s prequel can be a worthy star vehicle for its sprawling ensemble.

It’s hard to tell how well “1923” will build its universe based on the one episode made available to critics. But its level of ambition is clear. ... If “1923” can manage to juggle its personal dramas, action and historical scope, it could strike another “Yellowstone”-size mother lode.

Just based on the premiere, 1923 is an ambitious undertaking with a ton of potential that will give fans of Yellowstone a series that at times feels familiar and other times feels like it's expanding what Yellowstone can be.

It’s a big tapestry like “Yellowstone,” and Sheridan isn’t about to change his writing style for two big A-list stars. The show frankly seems to suffer when they’re not onscreen, but you still have to tip your 10-gallon brim to its creator for doing his own thing regardless.

The premiere achieves the rough emotional outlines of an epic – the feel of sweeping ambitions – without much specificity of feeling, yet. But there are more reasons than not, especially if you root for Ford and Mirren as elder statesmen of the screen, to watch more.

Remembering Sheridan’s penchant for juxtaposing mankind’s ugliest antics with magnificent natural vistas, it seems just as likely that “1923” will only match Jacob’s grimace with a perpetually grim tone.

With Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren saddling up “1923” takes the star quality to the next level, putting a shiny bow on a pretty basic package.

Stream it, if only for the presence of Ford and Mirren, and the fact that we know that Sheridan’s shows get better as they go along. But the first episode of 1923 does not do the presence of its stars justice, has disjointed stories and a glacial pace.

Maybe the pieces of 1923 will come together eventually and perhaps they’ll even come together quickly — again, I’ve seen only one episode — but in the short run, it’s unlikely that Sheridan’s carefully cultivated core audience will care.