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.