Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone Franchise Expands Rapidly, but Avoids the Fate of Dallas Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone franchise continues to expand with new spinoff series, but the rapid growth raises concerns that it may become unwieldy like Dallas in the 1980s. Despite the risks, Yellowstone has so far avoided the pitfalls that led to Dallas's decline, including a disastrous 'Dream Season' and stiff competition. Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone franchise has expanded into new territory this year, as the TV Western's third and fourth spinoff series continue its story. These series inevitably come with considerable risks, eight years on from our initial introduction to the Dutton family. In this regard, it's worth highlighting the case of television's most popular modern Western. At this stage, it appears as though Yellowstone and its spinoffs managed to avoid the fate that befell another family of ranchers who dominated the small screen four decades ago. By many measures, Dallas remains the most popular Western series in TV history. It could be argued that, as a soap opera, this show doesn't really belong in the Western genre.Yet, precisely the same claim has been levelled at Yellowstone, which many viewers consider the archetypal contemporary Western show of the past decade. These two ratings juggernauts have a great deal in common, from storylines centering on sensational family melodrama, to the sprawling screen universes they both construct in modern-day Western settings. The rise and fall of Dallas as a network behemoth in the 1980s contains some critical lessons for Taylor Sheridan and Yellowstone.Dallas Rapid Decline After PeakIn the space of just seven years, it went from a show commanding a global audience of 300 million, with a legendary plot twist that changed television history, to a caricature of its former self plummeting down the audience rankings. Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone Universe Is Rapidly Expanding By the mid-1980s, Dallas had arguably become too big for its own good, and the only way was down.Its decline is a cautionary tale for the Yellowstone franchise, which is now growing more rapidly than ever before. Following the conclusion of the main series in November, Taylor Sheridan has overseen the development of the spinoffs Marshals and Dutton Ranch, which arrived on our screens earlier this year.Add to them the completed prequel series 1883 and 1923, and 1944, a further prequel currently in development, and it's clear why there are concerns that this giant TV universe is becoming increasingly unwieldy. Yellowstone is opening itself up to the same issues that plagued Dallas 40 years ago. But for the time being, at least, the franchise's expansion appears to be relatively plain sailing.Yellowstone Spinoffs Record SuccessMarshals broke a network television viewership record which had stood for eight years with its CBS debut back in March, while Dutton Ranch has already become one of the most-watched series in the history of Paramount+. What's more, Yellowstone's franchise expansion generally received good reviews from critics, Marshals aside. The franchise spinoffs are viewed as substantial additions to its TV universe, with their own compelling characters, plots, and tonal shifts away from the soapy melodrama of the main series.Yellowstone Has So Far Avoided The Fate Of Dallas In The 1980s Up to this point, then, Yellowstone has steered clear of the pitfalls that did for Dallas in the second half of the 1980s. It's now just over eight years since Taylor Sheridan's flagship TV Western premiered on Paramount.It was at this very moment in its history that Dallas aired its preposterous 'dream season' reveal, which is now remembered as the episode when the iconic series officially jumped the shark. Fan-favorite character Bobby Ewing, played by Patrick Duffy, had been killed off in the finale of the previous season a year earlier, but was suddenly revealed to be alive, with the entirety of season 9 having been a nightmare dreamt by his wife, Pam.Who Shot J.R. ImpactAt that moment, Dallas went from changing TV history for the better to setting it back for years to come. Six years earlier, the show's 1980 'Who shot J.R.?' had captivated viewers the world over, with November 21's episode 'Who Done It' drawing what remains the second-biggest audience for scripted television in American history. In the years that followed, major cast departures and multiple failed spinoffs precipitated the downfall of Dallas. It was clear, too, that the show's writers were running out of ideas, and increasingly outlandish storylines culminated in the disastrous 'Dream Season' between 1985 and 1986, which turned off legions of fans.Dallas Ratings Drop Due CompetitionIt didn't help matters that Dallas was facing stiffer competition than ever before in its regular timeslot at the time, most notably from The Cosby Show on NBC. 1986 was the year that ratings began to fall off, as it slipped down to #6 in network rankings, having commanded the top two spots throughout the decade up to that point. By its 14th and final season, the show was 61st in the rankings, and averaged fewer than 17 million viewers, which was around half the average of its early-eighties peak.This is a fate that Yellowstone itself never suffered as a series, as its audience continued to grow into its final season.