Taylor Sheridan replaced a legendary screen icon while casting Yellowstone, but this ultimately worked in the show’s favor. Taylor Sheridan famously quit Sons of Anarchy early in its run, after his request for a pay rise was laughed off. He then pivoted from acting to screenwriting and penned his American Frontier trilogy in quick succession, consisting of Sicario, Hell or High Waterand Wind River.
Now, the Taylor Sheridan TV empire is well and truly established and consists of multiple shows like Lioness and Landman. In just over a decade, Sheridan transformed himself from a little-known TV actor into one of the most powerful showrunners in the business. Sheridan is also co-writing the Call of Duty movie for director Peter Berg.
Of course, the Yellowstone franchise is still alive and well. The main series might have ended in 2024, but spinoffs like Marshals and Dutton Ranch will keep it going for the foreseeable future. One actor who’s unlikely to return to the saga is Kevin Costner, who exited the original show under famously fraught circumstances to direct his Horizon duology.
The Sheridan-verse · Ranch Assessment
Taylor Sheridan
Trivia Challenge
🏠 Yellowstone Protect the ranch
🐴 1883 The Oregon Trail
🌾 1923 Drought & dust
🔒 Kingstown Prison politics
🎼 Tulsa King Made man, new town
01
The Dutton family has controlled the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States for over a century. In which state is the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch located?
✓ Correct! The Yellowstone Dutton Ranch sits near the border of Yellowstone National Park in Montana. The show is filmed primarily in Montana, with the real-life Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby serving as the Dutton homestead.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Montana. The Dutton Ranch borders Yellowstone National Park in Big Sky Country. While the rugged landscape could pass for Wyoming or Idaho, the show is set — and largely filmed — in Montana.
02
John Dutton is the iron-willed patriarch who will stop at nothing to protect his family’s land. Which Oscar-winning actor portrayed him for the first four seasons of Yellowstone?
✓ Correct! Kevin Costner brought gravitas and quiet intensity to John Dutton, anchoring Yellowstone as one of the most-watched shows on cable television. His departure ahead of Season 5B became one of the biggest stories in TV.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Kevin Costner. While Sam Elliott did appear in 1883, Josh Brolin has his own Sheridan series (Outer Range isn’t Sheridan’s), and Kurt Russell hasn’t joined the Sheridan-verse. Costner defined John Dutton.
03
In the prequel series 1883, a Civil War veteran leads his family on a brutal wagon-train journey from Texas to Montana to find a new home. What is the name of this original Dutton patriarch?
✓ Correct! James Dutton, played by Tim McGraw, is the Civil War veteran who leads his wife Margaret and their children on the perilous journey west. His daughter Elsa narrates the series, and the family’s arrival in Montana establishes the Yellowstone Ranch.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is James Dutton. Jacob Dutton is the character Harrison Ford plays in 1923 — James’s brother. John Dutton Sr. doesn’t appear until later generations, and Emmett Dutton doesn’t exist in the Sheridan-verse.
04
On the Dutton Ranch, certain cowboys receive a permanent mark of loyalty — a hot-iron brand seared into their skin that signifies a blood oath to the ranch. What symbol is this feared brand?
✓ Correct! The branded “Y” is the Yellowstone Ranch’s livestock mark, but for ranch hands, wearing it on their chest means a lifelong oath of silence and loyalty. “Taking someone to the train station” is what happens to those who betray it.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is the letter “Y” — for Yellowstone. The brand is both a ranch identifier and a mark of absolute loyalty. Characters like Rip, Kayce, and Jimmy all bear the “Y” brand, signifying they’ve sworn their lives to the ranch.
05
In 1923, the Dutton family battles drought, Prohibition, and encroaching modernity during the Great Depression era. Which legendary Hollywood actor plays patriarch Jacob Dutton?
✓ Correct! Harrison Ford stars as Jacob Dutton alongside Helen Mirren as his wife Cara. Ford’s casting marked his first major television role and brought massive star power to the expanding Sheridan-verse. The series is set during Prohibition and the early Depression.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Harrison Ford. In his first major TV role, Ford plays Jacob Dutton, brother of James Dutton from 1883. Helen Mirren stars opposite him as Cara Dutton. Their star power helped make 1923 Paramount+’s biggest premiere.
06
Beth Dutton’s volatile love story with a tough ranch foreman is one of Yellowstone’s most beloved storylines. The two eventually marry in a surprise ceremony. Who is Beth’s husband?
✓ Correct! Rip Wheeler, played by Cole Hauser, is John Dutton’s most loyal enforcer and Beth’s husband. Taken in by John as a teenager after a traumatic past, Rip would do anything for the Dutton family — and his fierce devotion to Beth became a fan-favorite romance.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Rip Wheeler. Lloyd Pierce is the bunkhouse elder, Walker is a ranch hand and musician, and Jimmy Hurdstrom is the hapless cowboy who eventually gets sent to the 6666 Ranch in Texas. Only Rip won Beth’s wild heart.
07
In Mayor of Kingstown, a family serves as power brokers in a Michigan town where the prison industry is the only business. Which family navigates this dark world of incarceration and corruption?
✓ Correct! The McLusky family, led by Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner), acts as unofficial mediators between prisoners, gangs, police, and politicians in Kingstown, Michigan. The show is one of Sheridan’s grittiest explorations of the American justice system.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is the McLusky family. Jeremy Renner stars as Mike McLusky, who inherits the role of “mayor” — an unofficial power broker between inmates, gangs, and law enforcement. The Duttons are Yellowstone’s dynasty, not Kingstown’s.
08
One Dutton sibling is an adopted son and ambitious lawyer who frequently clashes with his family — sometimes even conspiring against them. His complex loyalty drives much of the show’s drama. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Jamie Dutton, played by Wes Bentley, is the adopted son and Harvard-educated lawyer whose desperate need for his father’s approval and political ambition create some of Yellowstone’s most dramatic betrayals. His rivalry with Beth is legendary.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Jamie Dutton. Kayce is John’s biological youngest son (a former Navy SEAL), Lee is the eldest son who dies in Season 1, and Tate is Kayce’s young son. Only Jamie is the adopted lawyer who conspires against the family.
Round-Up Complete Your Ranch Record
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Are you a ranch foreman — or headed straight to the train station?
This led to Costner’s John Dutton being abruptly killed off during the second half of Yellowstone final season, though in hindsight, this was handled about as well as it could be. Despite Costner being so closely linked to the series, he wasn’t the original choice.
Robert Redford Was Replaced By Kevin Costner On Yellowstone
Robert Redford steers a boat in All is Lost.
While Sheridan was pitching Yellowstone around, he met with HBO about the show. In 2023, he recalled to THR that HBO said if he landed Robert Redford as John Dutton, they would greenlight a pilot. Taking the network at its word, Sheridan flew to Sundance to meet with Redford, and after spending a day sweet-talking the screen icon, the star agreed to play Dutton.
To Sheridan’s shock, he was then told that HBO actually wanted a “Robert Redford type” instead. It turned out the network had several misgivings about the show, from Redford’s age to the premise itself. Sheridan later took the series to Paramount, with Costner later signing on to play Dutton.
There is still no release date for Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2, despite the Western sequel being shot and completed.
While Robert Redford was a true screen legend and would have rocked in Yellowstone, his casting would have made for a different show. The star was nearly 20 years older than Costner, which would have resulted in a different take on Dutton. Redford was also nearing retirement around this period, and likely would have exited the show within the first couple of seasons.
Given that this was when Yellowstone was becoming a phenomenon, that could have hurt its momentum. Sheridan’s original concept for the series would have seen Dutton exiting after three seasons, but the series was such a smash that Paramount insisted on keeping it running.
Kevin Costner Was Key To Yellowstone’s Success
Nabbing a star of Costner’s caliber was a big feat for Yellowstone, and in its early years, this was a key reason audiences tuned in. No matter how silly or outlandish the show could get (and boy, could it), Costner always helped keep it grounded. He also brought a lot of screen history to Sheridan’s Neo-Western, thanks to his past roles in Dances with Wolves or The Untouchables.
Had Yellowstone been a movie or miniseries, Redford would have been perfect. But since Dutton’s journey ended up running for five seasons, Costner was the better pick. The success of the show took everyone by surprise, and even if the inital plan was to wrap things up earlier, audiences just wanted more from the universe.
This can be seen in the success of its multiple spinoffs, with 1883 easily being the greatest thing the franchise has produced. It’s kind of fascinating thought to picture Robert Redford inhabiting Dutton’s skin and picturing what he would have done with the part, but given how the Yellowstone saga twisted and evolved, everything worked out as it should.
Source: THR
Yellowstone
7/10
Release Date
2018 – 2024
Network
Paramount Network
Created by
Taylor Sheridan
First TV Show
Yellowstone
Latest TV Show
1923
Upcoming TV Shows
The Madison
First Episode Air Date
June 20, 2018
Cast
Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Gil Birmingham, Brecken Merrill, Jefferson White, Danny Huston
Yellowstone is 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 as 1883 and 1923, and an upcoming sequel series is in development.
