Warning! SPOILERS For Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 14, “Life Is A Promise”
A pattern guidesTaylor Sheridan’sYellowstonecharacters, and replacing Kevin Costner’s patriarch maintains it.Yellowstoneand 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 in1923.While it will be interesting to see John Dutton’s replacement,Beth and Rip’sYellowstonespinoff should prioritize its existing charactersto build on Sheridan’s legacy ofYellowstone’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 successorin Beth and Rip’sYellowstonespinoff. Carter has wanted to be like John Dutton sinceYellowstoneseason 4, and making his role in the spinoff more robust could focus on Carter as the younger character and Beth and Rip as the sturdyYellowstonepower couple. While the delayed timeline forYellowstoneseason 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.
How Carter’s Growth Spurt Changed His Yellowstone Season 5 Storyline
Carter appears in Yellowstone season 4 as a precocious young kid but his story changes in season 5 and it may be because of how tall Finn Little grew.
Yellowstoneseason 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 whenCarter tells Jake Reams that he knows what he wants to be when he grows up, saying,“I want to be him,”referring to John. TheYellowstonefranchise puts weight on the memorable moment, making it the chapter’s title. Therefore,Yellowstonehas 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, andYellowstone’s spinoff can lean into that. Finn Little was just a kid when he joined the franchise, butCarter’s performance inYellowstoneseason 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 theYellowstonestory as Carter for quite some time, succeeding John’s presence in theYellowstonefranchise rather than replacing it.
Carter wholly commits to the lifestyle inYellowstoneseason 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, whereasTaylor Sheridan could make Carter more like John himself. InBeth and Rip’sYellowstonespinoff, 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 inYellowstoneseason 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’sYellowstoneshow, 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 inYellowstoneseason 5, episode 14, “Life Is a Promise.” Probably knowing he would continueYellowstonewith 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’sThose Who Wish Me Deadalongside Angelina Jolie before hisYellowstonedebut, so he has a track record of reappearing in Sheridan’s works. Little is also actively supporting theYellowstonefranchise, highlighted in anInstagrampost 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.
Yellowstone
Yellowstoneis a neo-Western drama series created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, centered on the Dutton family and their fight to protect the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch from various adversaries, including land developers and nearby reservations. Premiering in 2018 on Paramount Network, the show has been praised for its depiction of power struggles, family loyalty, and rural conflicts. It has expanded into a franchise with spin-offs such as1883and1923, and an upcoming sequel series is in development.
