Yellowstone Is Giving Spinoffs to Everyone Except the 1 Character Who Deserves It the Most

The Yellowstone franchise is about to enter a new era as several main shows in the television universe come to an end. The flagship series concluded late last year, culminating with an early series finale following Kevin Costner’s early exit. Now, 1923 has also come to an end, featuring the Duttons’ final fight against the villainous Donald Whitfield. Even with two series down for the count, Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western franchise is far from finished.

With Yellowstone and 1923 finished, Sheridan and his team have new stories up their sleeves. Plenty of Yellowstone spinoffs are on the way, following several characters from previous series as well as all-new ones whom audiences haven’t met before. As exciting as each of these spinoffs is, Sheridan is missing one extremely compelling possibility for a new Yellowstone series starring one of the franchise’s most interesting characters.

Yellowstone Is Giving a Lot of Characters Spinoffs: Taylor Sheridan’s Television Universe Is Continuing in Multiple New Spinoffs

Yellowstone is expanding with multiple new spinoffs following different characters from previous entries in the franchise. Perhaps the most exciting of these spinoffs, a new series will chronicle the continuing adventures of Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler after the events of Yellowstone‘s final season. Presumably, this series will depict the married couple as they start a new life for themselves on a ranch of their own, having left the Yellowstone behind for good. Another recently announced spinoff will follow Kayce Dutton as he continues to serve as Montana’s livestock commissioner. The series is expected to act as more of a procedural than the typical melodrama of the previous Yellowstone series. 1923‘s most popular character, Spencer Dutton, is also getting his own spinoff set twenty years after the events of the most recent series. 1944 will follow Spencer as he inherits the family ranch and fights hard to ensure that his son, John Dutton II, will one day inherit the land.

Other upcoming spinoffs will move away from the Duttons entirely, following new characters in the world of Yellowstone. The first of these is The Madison, a new series starring Michelle Pfeiffer as the matriarch of a wealthy family that starts a new life for themselves in Montana after a personal tragedy strikes too close to home. While the series seemingly has no connection to the Duttons, its shared setting of rural Montana suggests that there could be crossovers between The Madison and other Yellowstone spinoffs. On the other hand, 6666 will move away from Montana entirely, shifting its setting to the wide open fields of Fort Worth, Texas. The upcoming spinoff is set to follow the Four Sixes Ranch, which featured prominently in Yellowstone‘s final season. Characters like Jimmy Hurdstrom and Travis Wheatley are rumored to appear therein, offering some connections back to the original series. With all these series in development, however, Taylor Sheridan seems to be missing the one spinoff that Yellowstone really needs.

Cara Dutton Deserves Her Own Spinoff: 1923’s Best Character Needs to Return

Cara Dutton deserves a spinoff after 1923. Helen Mirren’s character is a central figure in the most recent Yellowstone prequel. An Irish immigrant who came to the United States for a better life, she eventually married Jacob Dutton. Together, Cara and her husband took over the Dutton Family Ranch in Montana after Jacob’s brother, James, died, leaving behind two sons. By the events of 1923, Cara is an older woman, but the years haven’t taken away her spirit. She quickly proves to be one of the most capable characters in the series. Sharp as a tack and always planning ahead, Cara never falters once in her defense of the family or their land, proving to be one of the Duttons’ greatest assets in the fight against Donald Whitfield. Despite her fierce fighting, Cara never loses her heart, as many Duttons do in the generations that follow. She is always there to offer a word of encouragement or a helping hand, showing that her love for her family always trumps anything else.

Cara is undoubtedly one of the most interesting members of the Dutton family in 1923. Thanks in large part to Mirren’s captivating performance, Cara lights up the screen each time she appears. Even when the action of 1923 picks up as the series comes to a close, Cara is not left behind in the dust but rather gets into the heat of battle herself to fight for her family. Despite marrying into the family, Cara is a Dutton through and through, exhibiting all the traits one would come to expect from the fierce fighters. Taylor Sheridan and his team can’t afford to forget about a character as compelling as Cara, who could easily lead her own series if given the opportunity.

What Would Cara Dutton’s Spinoff Look Like? There Are Numerous Possibilities for a Cara Spinoff

Cara Dutton’s potential spinoff could take many different forms. Perhaps the most obvious storyline would follow Cara as a younger woman before the events of 1923. The series could follow her as she immigrates from Ireland and learns to assimilate into a very different country and culture. Jacob Dutton could also factor into a Cara Dutton spinoff, giving the Yellowstone franchise a chance to lay the groundwork for their relationship and marriage. Such a series would also break from the bonds of the Dutton ranch, which has been the setting of every Yellowstone series thus far, to explore different locations as Cara journeys from place to place before finally settling down in 1923.

Of course, one of the strongest aspects of Cara Dutton’s character is Helen Mirren’s performance. As such, Sheridan may prefer to keep Mirren in the role and rather explore Cara’s exploits after the events of 1923. Both Cara and Jacob survive the battle with Donald Whitfield, leaving their final fates somewhat mysterious by the end of the series. Though they are approaching their twilight years, there could still be more adventures for Cara and Jacob beyond their most recent appearances. Cara Dutton, in particular, could lead future storylines that would grant her character a more conclusive ending and lead into the events of 1944.