Forget Kevin Costner’s Replacement, Beth & Rip’s Yellowstone Spinoff Already Has John Dutton’s Best Successor

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Warning! SPOILERS For Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 14, “Life Is A Promise”

As production falls into place for Beth and Rip’s Yellowstone spinoff, there’s a buzz that it’s casting a replacement for Kevin Costner’s character, but the love birds’ story already has John Dutton’s true successor. Puck‘s What I’m Hearing newsletter reports Yellowstone‘s offshoot is looking for someone like Costner to join Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, who will reprise Beth and Rip, respectively. The report also confirmed that production would be underway this summer, likely building on Beth and Rip’s Yellowstone season 5 ending.

A pattern guides Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone characters, and replacing Kevin Costner’s patriarch maintains it. Yellowstone and its prequels have older, wiser figures to guide the younger generation, with Beth and Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) sharing the spotlight with characters played by tested stars like Costner and Harrison Ford, who plays Jacob Dutton in 1923. While it will be interesting to see John Dutton’s replacement, Beth and Rip’s Yellowstone spinoff should prioritize its existing characters to build on Sheridan’s legacy of Yellowstone’s character-driven ensemble.

Carter Has Wanted To Be Like John Dutton Since Yellowstone Season 4

Carter Wants To Be Like John Dutton When He Grows Up

Following Taylor Sheridan’s formula, Carter (Finn Little) could come to the forefront as John Dutton’s successor in Beth and Rip’s Yellowstone spinoff. Carter has wanted to be like John Dutton since Yellowstone season 4, and making his role in the spinoff more robust could focus on Carter as the younger character and Beth and Rip as the sturdy Yellowstone power couple. While the delayed timeline for Yellowstone season 5 changed Carter’s story as Beth and Rip’s ersatz son, the couple’s spinoff could embrace that, leaning into Carter as the older and wiser character he’s become.

Yellowstone season 4, episode 6, “I Want to Be Him,” ends with Carter’s proclamation. After Rip fights Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith), everyone directly involved walks away from the confrontation upset, with John Dutton walking up the hillside. The episode ends when Carter tells Jake Reams that he knows what he wants to be when he grows up, saying, “I want to be him,” referring to John. The Yellowstone franchise puts weight on the memorable moment, making it the chapter’s title. Therefore, Yellowstone has already set Carter into motion as the perfect replacement for what John Dutton was to the franchise.

Why Carter Is John Dutton’s Best Successor In Beth & Rip’s Yellowstone Spinoff

Carter Could Replace John Dutton

It makes sense to highlight Carter in Beth and Rip’s story because he was supposed to be a major part of their lives, and Yellowstone‘s spinoff can lean into that. Finn Little was just a kid when he joined the franchise, but Carter’s performance in Yellowstone season 5, albeit limited, proved that Carter’s charm has evolved with age, not plateaued, as Tate’s (Brecken Merrill) sometimes did. While he doesn’t have the same draw as a more tested actor, Little could continue in the Yellowstone story as Carter for quite some time, succeeding John’s presence in the Yellowstone franchise rather than replacing it.

Carter wholly commits to the lifestyle in Yellowstone season 4 when he vows to be like John.

Carter met John Dutton during his formative years, allowing him to study Dutton’s wisdom from up close. The same is true for Rip, but Cole Hauser’s character was more like a son to John, whereas Taylor Sheridan could make Carter more like John himself. In Beth and Rip’s Yellowstone spinoff, Wheeler may build a ranching empire. Carter could stand to inherit that, making him even more like John. Unlike Tate, who didn’t know if he wanted to run the ranch, Carter wholly commits to the lifestyle in Yellowstone season 4 when he vows to be like John, proving he could succeed him.

Will Carter Actually Appear In Beth & Rip’s Yellowstone Spinoff?

Evidence Suggests Carter Could Appear In Beth And Rip’s Show

While Carter would appear in Beth and Rip’s Yellowstone show, in theory, there’s no official word about whether Finn Little has joined the cast. The most obvious reason to believe that Carter would join Beth and Rip in their spinoff is that he appears alongside the couple at their ranch in Dillon, Montana, in the characters’ epilogue in Yellowstone season 5, episode 14, “Life Is a Promise.” Probably knowing he would continue Yellowstone with Beth and Rip’s story, Taylor Sheridan had the opportunity to write Carter out of the couple’s next chapter, and he didn’t take it.

Finn Little appeared in Taylor Sheridan’s Those Who Wish Me Dead alongside Angelina Jolie before his Yellowstone debut, so he has a track record of reappearing in Sheridan’s works. Little is also actively supporting the Yellowstone franchise, highlighted in an Instagram post showing a gorgeous behind-the-scenes photo of Little and Costner in Montana’s beautiful, atmospheric mountains. Still, while Carter is a great character and can appear alongside Beth and Rip regardless, Sheridan likely wants someone with more star power to draw interest in Reilly and Hauser’s show since it doesn’t have Costner to compel viewers to tune in.