Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone Spinoffs Can't Agree About John Dutton's Complicated Legacy

Published Oct 14, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT

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The contrast between Yellowstone's two spinoffs is evident in how Dutton Ranch and Marshals deal with the complicated legacy of John Dutton (Kevin Costner). Following John's death in Yellowstone's fifth and final season, Kayce (Luke Grimes) and Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) sold the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch to the Broken Rock tribe and went their separate ways to build new lives.

Kayce Dutton's spinoff, Marshals, launched on CBS first in early 2026. Audience appetite for Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone franchise turned Marshals into one of the biggest shows on television, despite a drastic change that formatted Kayce's Montana-based adventures with the US Marshals into a network procedural. Killing Kayce's wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), off-screen also didn't hurt Marshals' popularity.

While Kayce stayed in Montana, Dutton Ranch brought Beth and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) to the Lone Star State. Premiering on Paramount+ in the spring, Dutton Ranch proved Yellowstone's power to draw huge global streaming numbers. At their new Texas ranch, Beth and Rip are mired by the local landowner, Beulah Jackson (Annette Bening), and her nefarious schemes to keep control of her family's ranching legacy.

Marshals & Dutton Ranch Handle John Dutton’s Complicated Legacy Differently

Image via Paramount+

The spirit of John Dutton looms over Marshals and Dutton Ranch, but each spinoff copes with the late Dutton patriarch's sins and virtues differently. John Dutton was many things: complicated, stubborn, taciturn, mournful, corrupt, yet uniquely noble, and a law unto himself. John's memory is dictated by his relationships with his son, daughter, and son-in-law, as well as grandson Tate (Brecken Merrill).

For Kayce, John Dutton is mostly a painful memory. Kayce rebelled against his father's wishes and paid for it, emotionally and with the permanent Yellowstone brand on his chest. Although John and Kayce made amends as Yellowstone continued, the hurt and trauma never faded. Kayce's eternal struggle is to resist John's influence ("The Dutton Way") and be a better father to Tate, especially without Monica as his better angel.

However, Tate remembers his grandfather differently. When Kayce and Monica finally allowed Tate to get to know John, the old man was overjoyed to spend time with his young grandson. Tate saw John's best; his wisdom, patience, compassion, and even indulgence. John tried to make amends for his failures as a father by showering Tate with love and affection. In Marshals, 17-year-old Tate mourns John in a way Kayce never can.

No one understood John's faults quite as clearly as Beth, his consigliere. Yet Beth adored her daddy, and she does not bear any ill will toward his sins. Instead, John is a sainted martyr to Beth and Rip, who hero-worshipped the late Dutton patriarch and yearned to be considered his son. Beth and Rip avenged John's murder by killing Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley), and carry on their father's perceived nobility in Dutton Ranch, literally naming their new home after John.

Why Yellowstone Has No True John Dutton Replacement

With Marshals and Dutton Ranch carrying on the Yellowstone saga, it's natural for audiences to look at certain characters who possess particular traits that could classify them as "John Dutton's replacement." Beulah Jackson in Dutton Ranch and Tom Weaver (Chris Mulkey) in Marshals have been called "John Dutton's replacement," while Beth, Rip, and Kayce could also be considered as such.

The world that created John Dutton, that he defended until his dying day, no longer exists as of the end of Yellowstone.

Ultimately, John Dutton has no replacement, and no one will ever take his place. This isn't just because of Kevin Costner, who was the charismatic gravitas that Yellowstone revolved around for four-and-a-half seasons. It's because the world that created John Dutton, that he defended until his dying day, no longer exists as of the end of Yellowstone.

John was a product of his upbringing and his sworn vow to protect the Dutton family legacy. Every iota of John's being was dedicated to keeping the Yellowstone safe from land developers and private equity groups, as well as politicians and out-of-state interlopers. There was no crime John wouldn't commit for the Yellowstone. John also knew he was the last of his kind, and that his children did not feel the same about their family's ranch and legacy.

Until his last breath, John Dutton refused to accept the encroaching reality that he was doomed to lose the Yellowstone. Fortunately for John, he didn't live to see Kayce and Beth surrender their family's land. John's son and daughter diverged to build their own Yellowstone legacies, and they took the best (and worst) parts of John Dutton with them.

Marshals airs on CBS and Dutton Ranch streams on Paramount+

Yellowstone