TV Show review
December 18, 2022 · TV-MA · Ended
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for 1923.
Woke representation / casting
Casting matches the 1920s Montana setting and character backgrounds; Native actress plays Native lead in her own storyline with no swaps or signaling.
Woke political dialogue
No anachronistic speeches or modern activist language; all dialogue stays in period.
Identity-driven story themes
Teonna’s historical arc highlights cultural resistance and boarding school trauma as a parallel story; main Dutton narrative stays traditional family and land defense.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Shows real historical abuses at specific boarding schools and a villainous tycoon; overall story celebrates traditional rancher values and property rights rather than broad anti-Western messaging.
Review
1923 follows the Dutton family in early 1920s Montana as they battle drought, economic collapse, sheep herders, and a corrupt tycoon trying to seize their Yellowstone ranch. Parallel stories track Spencer Dutton’s dangerous journey home from Africa with his British wife and a young Crow woman named Teonna escaping an abusive Catholic Indian boarding school. The series stays rooted in period history and traditional Western survival themes with no modern lectures or identity signaling.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Some right-leaning viewers flagged the Native storyline and Sheridan’s past comments as agenda-driven, though complaints stayed moderate and the show remained popular.
Creator track record context
Sheridan’s body of work prioritizes gritty traditional storytelling and has included criticism of woke elements in Hollywood.
Production
