Is Yellowstone’s Beth & Rip Spinoff Shaping Up to Be the Ultimate Season 6 Preview?

A new Beth and Rip Yellowstone spinoff update means that Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser’s offshoot is getting dangerously close to becoming Yellowstone season 6. Ahead of Yellowstone season 5’s finale, it was announced that Reilly and Hauser would reprise their Beth and Rip characters and lead a new spinoff Taylor Sheridan is creating for his neo-Western franchise. While a story surrounding the most likable Yellowstone characters is an exciting prospect, there’s much debate over whether the show will end up becoming an unoriginal copy of its predecessor rather than telling a fresh story.

Rather than continue with Yellowstone season 6, Taylor Sheridan concluded his flagship with the season 5 finale. The enormously popular show ended abruptly after Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone exit, which caused the show to end without its gritty yet beloved protagonist. Controversy surrounded Costner’s leaving the show permanently, reportedly due to a lack of terms that worked for all parties. Rather than continue without its lead, Sheridan opted for a Yellowstone continuation with Beth and Rip, but a new casting update further muddles the divide between it and Yellowstone season 6.

Beth & Rip’s Spinoff Having A “Kevin Costner Type” Sounds More Like Yellowstone Season 6

Beth And Rip’s Spinoff Is Looking For A Kevin Costner Replacement

A new report revealed that Beth and Rip’s Yellowstone spinoff will reportedly begin filming this summer (via Puck). The report also suggested that the offshoot was “looking to cast a Kevin Costner type that is definitely not Costner to join them.” While it was exciting to get an update that the offshoot would quickly get off the ground, it suggests Taylor Sheridan wants a cast dynamic similar to Yellowstone‘s and is looking for someone to replace Costner. Therefore, Beth and Rip’s spinoff is one step closer to being a blatant Yellowstone continuation rather than a unique project.

There will be apparent separations between the new Beth and Rip spinoff character and Costner’s. John Dutton was Beth’s father and Rip’s father figure, so it’s impossible to replace John Dutton’s dynamic with that of his most loyal family members. Therefore, the “Kevin Costner type” being scouted for the offshoot will inevitably have a different role in the love birds’ lives since no one can replace the parent John was to them both, and whoever Sheridan casts in the offshoot will likely be associated with Beth and Rip’s ranch outside Dillon, Montana, instead. Still, the casting is formulaic.

Beth & Rip’s Spinoff Just Being Yellowstone Season 6 Is Already A Contentious Point

Beth And Rip’s Spinoff Legally Can’t Become Yellowstone Season 6

Beyond affecting the story, adding a Kevin Costner-type to the Beth and Rip offshoot adds to an anticipated debate. As a spinoff series, Reilly and Hauser’s new show will be considered a separate project from Yellowstone. Therefore, Beth and Rip’s spinoff resembling Yellowstone is a problem. While ending the flagship series was partly due to Costner’s exit, continuing the Dutton family’s story in a spinoff skirts a legal issue with distributing new Yellowstone stories. As it stands, Peacock has the exclusive rights to stream Yellowstone despite all the franchise’s other series being on Paramount+.

It was an obvious choice to continue the Dutton family’s story with its strongest remaining characters: Beth and Rip. Still, according to another Puck report, packaging the Yellowstone story as a separate project and calling it something else could spark legal battles arguing the difference between Yellowstone season 6 and Beth and Rip’s spinoff. By producing Beth and Rip’s continuation as a spinoff, Paramount+ can stream the show. The decision would reportedly cause Peacock’s parent company to take action since the continuation of Yellowstone under a separate name seems to avoid the issue purposefully and gives Paramount+ exclusive streaming rights.

It’s Understandable Taylor Sheridan Would Want To Repeat Yellowstone’s Formula

Taylor Sheridan’s Work Has A Formula

While it’s a risk, it’s understandable that Taylor Sheridan would want to repeat his tested and proven Yellowstone formula. The dynamic that Sheridan is attempting to repeat in the Beth and Rip spinoff is one that he has replicated throughout his Yellowstone shows. While 1883, 1923, and Yellowstone all have exciting, younger protagonists to follow, all the series are anchored by a patriarch or couple who co-exists with the younger generation. Yellowstone has Beth and Rip paired with John. 1923 repeats this with Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton, 1883 repeats this with James (Tim McGraw), and so on.

While 1883 and 1923 follow James and Jacob Dutton with their partners, respectively, all of Sheridan’s shows have younger, compelling protagonists that fearlessly take on the world and resemble another walk of life and a fresh perspective. Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) represented this in 1883, and Spencer Dutton represented it in 1923. Beth and Rip work as counterparts to John Dutton’s more reserved, wise protagonist,​ and Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone exit was the only reason the show couldn’t continue. So, it makes sense to preserve what worked. In Beth and Rip’s case, that entails bringing in an older and wiser figure.

Moreover, Beth and Rip’s new setting in Dillon, Montana, warrants the casting. While it also follows Sheridan’s arguably over-used formula, adding a John Dutton-type character to support Beth and Rip’s new venture makes sense. Beth and Rip will be in an entirely new setting, surrounded by fresh faces. Beth and Rip will be making new allies in their ranching venture, and a trusted peer from within their community is bound to emerge to support them and add perspective to their journey. Still, Sheridan must cast someone with enough star power to justify the choice.

Beth & Rip’s Spinoff Not Just Being Yellowstone Season 6 Would Be More Exciting

Beth And Rip’s Spinoff Must Be Unique

While it makes sense to stick to what works, veering away from Yellowstone season 6 as much as possible is the most intriguing way to continue Beth and Rip’s story, and a John Dutton-type figure compromises this. While they all utilize some version of Taylor Sheridan’s casting formula, the Yellowstone spinoffs are arguably the best shows in the franchise, and that’s because 1883 and 1923 are entirely separate projects. They add perspective to the flagship show while not attempting to draw a straight line between the stories, aside from similar themes and connecting the lines of the Dutton family tree.

With the flagship series concluded and 1923 season 2 wrapping up the second prequel, Beth and Rip’s Yellowstone spinoff should do something fresh and new. Sheridan presumably chose Reilly and Hauser to lead the series due to their ability to hold their own as the main characters, and adding another figure to the cast to support them contradicts that. While Beth and Rip contributed to Yellowstone’s heartbeat, Costner still overpowered his counterparts as the series’ protagonist. That worked in Yellowstone, but potentially overshadowing Beth and Rip in their own spinoff makes it look way more like Yellowstone season 6.