Yellowstone: How the Beth & Rip Spinoff’s Kevin Costner Replacement Could Make John Dutton III’s Fate Even Worse

Taylor Sheridan’s drama series Yellowstone was infamously cut short, forcing an unsatisfying end for Kevin Costner’s patriarch, John Dutton III, which appears poised to be dredged up again with the in-development spinoff following Beth and Rip. The massively popular neo-Western was reportedly planned to run for seven seasons, meaning that Kevin Costner’s unceremonious exit at the midpoint of season 5 forced an abrupt end to virtually all the show’s major and minor narratives. Perhaps most importantly, it led to an unsatisfying off-screen death for his iconic character, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of most of the franchise’s fans.

The popularity of the original Yellowstone show spawned several spinoffs, with two already released and at least four more in development. 1883 and 1923 focused on past generations of the Dutton family, while the upcoming 1944 will do the same. The future-focused series include 6666, The Madison, and an untitled Beth and Rip-centric spinoff. All three shows will likely have characters or plot lines from the flagship show tied in, but the Beth and Rip spinoff figures to be the closest to a sequel series, especially given their reported plans to replace Kevin Costner’s John Dutton III.

Yellowstone’s Beth & Rip Spinoff Will Reportedly Have A Kevin Costner Replacement

They’re Supposedly Looking For A Similar Character

A mailbag article in Puck from Hollywood insider Matthew Belloni indicates that the Beth and Rip spinoff will begin shooting in summer 2025. As part of the production process, Sheridan and his crew are searching for a “Kevin Costner type that is definitely not Costner to join them.” While it’s obviously far too early for any major plot details to be revealed, it seems fair to think that the show might be borrowing some of the elements from the planned sixth and seven seasons of Yellowstone for the Beth and Rip spinoff.

The plot lines that would have involved John Dutton III in the planned last two seasons of Yellowstone will no doubt need to be adjusted significantly for the new circumstances. However, there are likely a collection of moments, scenes, or John Dutton-esque quotes and one-liners that Sheridan can recycle from those unfinished seasons of Yellowstone in the spinoff. By using a “Kevin Costner type” actor, it would be far easier to use already-fleshed-out elements as opposed to completely scrapping them and coming up with a brand-new direction for the Beth and Rip show.

The Beth & Rip Spinoff Needing A Costner Replacement Shows Where Yellowstone Went Wrong

The Forced Ending Is Underlined By A John Dutton Replacement

Unfortunately, while that plan may be in the best interest of the Beth and Rip spinoff show, it highlights how catastrophic Costner’s exit from Yellowstone truly was. Costner and Sheridan originally planned Yellowstone for seven seasons, and Sheridan has proven that he’s a talented enough writer to build plots and characters over that long a timeframe. That likely means that elements from the final two seasons were set up years in advance, and fans probably missed out on some truly excellent payoffs for their favorite stories and characters.

The fact that Sheridan may be looking to reuse some of that material only speaks to how strong it was. While it’s merely speculative at this point with no casting sheet confirmed, it would make sense that Sheridan would look to continue with some of the elements that made Costner’s John Dutton III such a memorable character. There is definitely a path to getting the essence of John Dutton III into a new character for a new show, but trying to replace Costner really just makes his character’s forced death feel like an even bigger waste.

Is Beth & Rip’s Spinoff Just Going To Be Yellowstone Season 6 Without Kevin Costner?

Beth And Rip Can Essentially Continue Yellowstone’s Main Narrative

The Beth and Rip spinoff will obviously drop much of the original cast of Yellowstone, most of whom were scattered to the winds at the end of season 5. However, Beth and Rip are likely the two most important characters when it comes to carrying on John Dutton III’s legacy; Beth loved him unconditionally even if she hated the ranch itself, while Rip was unflinchingly loyal to both John Dutton III and the Yellowstone Ranch. They avenged his death by the end of Yellowstone, but there are plenty of skeletons in the collective Dutton closet that they could contend with.

Yellowstone – Key Details
Original Run Dates	Seasons	RT Tomatometer Score	RT Popcornmeter Score	Metacritic Critic Score	Metacritic User Score
June 20th, 2018–Dec. 15th, 2024	5	83%	76%	57	7.0/10

Of all the upcoming spinoffs, Beth and Rip’s feels the most likely to act as a de facto sixth season of Yellowstone, in spirit if not directly in script. It seems like a safe bet that there will also be elements used in The Madison, the Michelle Pfeiffer-led spinoff that follows a new family as they move to Montana following the tragic death of their own patriarch. Between those two shows and 6666, it feels likely that fans will ultimately still get the best of seasons 6 and 7 of Yellowstone, even if they’re served on a slightly different plate.