DALLAS — Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sam Elliot and…Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller? While that’s not the typical Hollywood lineup you’d expect from a Western series, that’s the cast of "1883," a new television program in which the Lone Star State’s agriculture commissioner has a cameo role.

What You Need To Know

  • Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has a cameo role in a new Western series, “1883”

  • The series is a prequel to the popular “Yellowstone” series about a Montana ranch family

  • Miller has been agriculture commissioner since 2015 and is running for reelection in 2022

Miller makes two appearances in the series, in episodes six and seven, according to his Facebook post. The dramatic series, which is a prequel to the popular “Yellowstone” series, began streaming this month on Paramount’s streaming service, Paramount+, on Dec. 17.

Only three episodes of the series have been released so far, with a fourth to air on Jan. 2 on the platform. Episodes six and seven are scheduled for later in January.

If you’ve followed the “Yellowstone” series for the past four seasons, you’re familiar with the endless Dutton family drama, their cattle ranch’s breathtaking landscape and the near-daily cowboy brawls. The series, also produced by Paramount, stars Kevin Costner as John Dutton, as he and his family battle leaders of native reservations, land developers and law enforcement, all for the sake of keeping their ranch, the largest in Montana, the way their forefathers had intended.

That’s where the “1883” series comes in to fill in the historical gaps. The new series turns the clock back to the late 19th century to the beginnings of the Dutton family, with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as James and Margaret Dutton. Paramount has billed the show as "a stark retelling of Western expansion, and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America's promised land—Montana."

The lead couple sets off to seek prosperity across the Great Plains toward Montana, with the leading man showing what he’s made of in Fort Worth, Texas, where he battles outlaws and sets the tone of the series. 

Miller has been the state’s agriculture commissioner since 2015. The Republican from Stephenville previously served in the Texas House from 2001 to 2013, after becoming the only Republican in his first term election to unseat a Democrat. He was later unseated in 2012. The Texas Ethics Commission opened an investigation against him the following year concerning allegations that he failed to disclose loan repayments from his campaign.

Miller was elected as agriculture commissioner in 2014 and is running for reelection in 2020 after briefly considering a challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott’s seat. 

The cameo role in the television series puts Miller in good company. Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Hanks also have cameos during episodes in which the series does a flashback to the Dutton family's history during the Civil War.