On 1883, Tim McGraw and his wife Faith Hill starred as the married James and Margaret Dutton. This couple planted a family tree that's gotten us to Kevin Costner's John Dutton on Yellowstone, but that doesn't mean they have inside information about creator Taylor Sheridan's plans to get there.

McGraw — whose new single "Standing Room Only" drops on Friday — did know something that even Sheridan's bosses at Paramount didn't, however. This is your spoiler alert if you've not watched 1883 or 1923. The singer spoke to Taste of Country Nights' Evan Paul earlier this month.

Related: 1923 Premiere Reveals the Fate of the Duttons From 1883

  • 1883 is the Yellowstone origin story and follows James Dutton's family as they travel from Texas to Oregon.
  • Sheridan told Deadline that Paramount executives weren't aware of the scope of the tragedy until the show finished shooting.
  • President Bob Bakish reportedly said (per Sheridan), "There better be a f---ing Season 2 because we already picked it up"

"We pretty much knew it was going to be one season," McGraw says of his expectations when he signed up. "There's only so much you can do on a wagon train (laughs)."

Both James and Margaret Dutton survive 1883, but in a flashback sequence aired during Season 4 of Yellowstone, viewers watched him get shot and hear Margaret (Hill) screaming. That cameo appearance was filmed before he committed to the role full time, but it informed his preparation.

"I sorta knew how James was gonna end by the flashback ... we didn't know how Margaret was gonna die until the show (1923) came out," he says. "We didn't get any scripts or anything before 1923 [to read], so we had no idea what was going on until we saw the first episode. It was interesting to find that out."

Margaret Dutton's death is not seen. During narration to open 1923, her on-screen daughter Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) explains that her mother froze to death one year after James Dutton was killed. Season 1 of 1923 and Seasons 4 and 5 of Yellowstone have focused on the family cemetery a lot.

"It's sort of weird to see your tombstones when they show 'em on the show," McGraw says, laughing and recreating what he tells his wife. "'There you are baby, right there.'"

McGraw looks to be in full music-making mode for 2023, but don't count out seeing him on screen soon. In fact, he says he and Hill would love to work together again!

"There are a of things kicking around for her and me to do, it's just a matter of finding time to do it," he says.

Watch the full video above to see his response to a potential reality show. "Standing Room Only" is the first sample of a new album that McGraw says he hopes to release this fall.

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