Taylor Sheridan forever changed television with Yellowstone, a neo-Western show that wouldn’t be nearly as popular if not for its incredible characters. Yellowstone centers on the Dutton family, who own the largest cattle ranch in Montana. From stoic patriarch John to the fiery Beth, the Duttons are a clan of strong and often clashing personalities.
However, the Duttons aren’t the only great characters in Yellowstone. From the cowboys who work at the ranch to the Duttons’ many ruthless enemies who want to snatch their land away from them, Yellowstone is teeming with fascinating figures who make the series one of the best neo-Western shows on television.
10
Kayce Dutton
John’s youngest son, Kayce is the Dutton with the strongest moral compass. Kayce is an incredibly conflicted man, as his sense of right and wrong puts him at odds with his father’s ruthlessness in defending his ranch, though Kayce’s intense loyalty sees him constantly compelled to protect his family and their legacy.
While this provides great tension in the show, Kayce’s story gets repetitive as Yellowstone goes on. His scenes with his wife Monica and son Tate are sweet but also a bit bland compared to Yellowstone‘s more violent and dramatic storylines.
Attempts at giving Kayce a dark side, like when he threatens a young girl with a gun in the divisive season 5, fell flat, making him one of the weaker Dutton characters. However, without Kayce, there would be no real heart to the Dutton family. Kayce is also popular enough to merit his own spinoff called Y: Marshals, a procedural that will premiere on CBS on March 1, 2026.
9
Teeter
Though Teeter brought some welcome comic relief to Yellowstone, it initially seemed like there wouldn’t be much more to her character than her marble-mouthed Texarkana accent and the fact that “she’s a woman but she acts just like one of the guys!” However, the more we got to know Teeter, the more we learned there’s a deep soul beneath her foul-mouthed exterior.
Her attraction to Colby was initially played for laughs, but when he succumbed to her quirky charm, they became one of Yellowstone‘s best couples. Teeter’s devastation at Colby’s death is one of Yellowstone‘s most heartbreaking moments, and it’s all due to her depth as a character.
8
Jamie Dutton
The black sheep of the family, much of the Duttons’ internal conflict centers on Jamie. As an outsider, it’s hard not to feel at least a little sympathy for Jamie, as he’s never able to win his father’s love or approval despite how hard he tries. Jamie is also the target of Beth’s ire, and the scenes in which she torments him are often hard to watch.
However, Jamie is hardly innocent and blameless, as Beth’s hatred for her brother stems from Jamie having a teenage Beth sterilized without her consent after she asked him to help her procure an abortion. As an adult, Jamie is by far the least loyal of the Duttons, and often takes weasely measures to honor his own self-interests.
Sadly, for as fascinating and nuanced as Jamie is, the final season didn’t really know what to do with him. Jamie spent most of Yellowstone season 5 completely sidelined, and when he did get screentime, the show turned him into a cartoonish, simpering villain. As a result, his final confrontation with Beth in Yellowstone‘s series finale, which should have been one of the show’s best moments, ultimately proved unsatisfying.
7
Lloyd Pierce
As John Dutton’s oldest and longest-serving ranch hand, Lloyd Pierce is the heart and soul of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. Lloyd greets each day ready to work himself to the bone, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He is truly a cowboy of a dying era.
Early on, Lloyd forms a father-son bond with Jimmy Hurdstrom, and it’s hard not to get choked up right along with Lloyd as he proudly sees Jimmy grow from a scrawny and awkward boy to a full-fledged cowboy in his own right. Whether watching him put in another hard day’s work at the ranch or kick back with a beer in the bunkhouse, it’s hard not to smile whenever Lloyd is onscreen.
6
Malcolm Beck
The Duttons have many foes, though Malcolm Beck is by far the most brutal villain of any Taylor Sheridan series, let alone Yellowstone. Along with his brother Teal, the powerful businessman fights dirtier than any of John’s other enemies, which includes a vicious hired attack on Beth and the kidnapping of Tate.
Malcolm Beck completely raised the bar for future Yellowstone antagonists, though none were able to clear it, making other Dutton feuds somewhat anticlimactic in comparison. From his introduction to his satisfying death scene, Malcolm’s time on Yellowstone was indeed a high point for the series.
Interestingly, Malcolm actor Neal McDonough believes that his Yellowstone character isn’t actually dead. McDonough argues that, while John Dutton left Malcolm to die in the field, nobody physically saw him pass. The actor also expressed a desire to return to the Yellowstone universe, and honestly, they’d be lucky to have him.
5
Jimmy Hurdstrom
Yellowstone‘s ultimate underdog, Jimmy Hurdstrom experiences the most dramatic arc of any character in the series. With their violent, underhanded ways, it can be hard to stomach the Duttons and their allies at times, but Jimmy is impossible not to root for every step of the way.
One of Yellowstone‘s future spinoffs included a Jimmy-cenric series called 6666. However, it is indefinitely on hold as Taylor Sheridan wants to take the time to handle the project with “special care” and “respect the lineage” of the real-life Texas ranch. (via THR)
Jimmy starts as a wayward delinquent but evolves from lowman at the Dutton ranch to rodeo star to authentic cowboy. Though it was heartbreaking seeing Jimmy leave the Yellowstone, John was right that working there was stunting Jimmy’s emotional growth. By starting over in Texas, Jimmy grows up and becomes the man he always wanted to be deep down.
4
Monica Dutton
As Kayce’s wife, Monica possesses a quiet strength that sets her apart from the louder personalities in the family she married into. She’s braver than she’s given credit for, as proven in the harrowing storyline where Monica puts herself in harm’s way in order to catch a killer who had been preying on the Indigenous women in her community.
Much of the criticism surrounding Monica is that she’s a perpetual victim. While it’s true that Monica has almost died and been attacked several times throughout Yellowstone, she has plenty of agency. Yes, Monica seeks Beth’s help in Yellowstone‘s memorable boutique scene, but she’s ultimately the one who ends the ugliness, ordering Beth to stop tormenting the racist shopkeeper because, to Monica, it’s senseless revenge.
Monica also brought a much-welcomed Indigenous perspective to Yellowstone, and storylines such as her history professorship at a local college were some of the show’s most underrated. Sadly, these fell by the wayside as Yellowstone progressed, and Monica existed more as Kayce’s wife than her own person. But when the show focused on her, it was better for it.
3
Rip Wheeler
Violent and dangerous, Rip Wheeler is John Dutton’s loyal enforcer, though the pilot lets you know right away that Rip has a heart of gold. With the exception of the Duttons, Rip’s backstory is explored deeper than any other character, and the show reveals how he went from a scared, abused kid to the branded devotee of the Yellowstone ranch and its owner.
As gripping as it is watching Rip enact vengeance against John’s enemies, which often results in a trip to Yellowstone‘s train station, it’s even better seeing his tender side in his scenes with Beth.
For someone so menacing, Rip radiates chivalry and protectiveness over his woman while never trying to control her. Rip loves Beth for exactly who she is, and theirs is a passionate yet enduring romance rarely seen on Western TV.
2
Beth Dutton
A loose cannon to her core, it’s impossible to know exactly what Beth Dutton will do next — though it likely involves hurling a savage insult or a mean right hook. Woe betide those who get on Beth’s bad side, especially those who threaten her father or his land. Beth’s livewire brand of frontier justice easily makes her one of Yellowstone‘s best characters.
Beth lives with a lot of unprocessed trauma, which often causes her to lash out in self-destructive, often drunken, ways. However, though she’s definitely reckless, Beth is no dummy. Of all the Duttons, she has the sharpest head for business, and if it weren’t for whip-smart financial knowledge, John would have had his ranch stolen from him long ago.
Besides her devotion to her father, we also see Beth’s softer side through her relationship with Rip. It takes a long time for Beth to fully lower her guard and let Rip into her heart, but when she does, there’s no going back, and it’s clear that they’ll be together forever. Luckily, the adventures of Beth and Rip will continue in their own Yellowstone spinoff, The Dutton Ranch.
1
John Dutton
A cowboy of the old school and one of TV drama’s last great antihero protagonists, John Dutton is Yellowstone‘s best character. Though John values simple pleasures like riding a horse or fishing with his grandson, there is nothing more important to him than preserving his land and legacy. He’ll fight for both at all costs — even if it means hurting his family.
Though Kevin Costner departed Yellowstone on a wave of controversy, nobody but him could have played the character and turned him into an icon. His love for the American West permeates through his performance as the Dutton family patriarch. Costner exquisitely captures the complexity of the Yellowstone protagonist, as John is caught between his value for an old way of life and the modern measures he must resort to to sustain it.
Without John Dutton, there’s no show, and the series’ final episodes, sans Costner, landed with a thud, and Yellowstone tarnished its own legacy with how it handled Costner’s exit. Perhaps the franchise will redeem itself through the upcoming spinoffs, but even so, there will never be a Yellowstone character as special as John Dutton.
- Release Date
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2018 – 2024
- Network
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Paramount Network
- Showrunner
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Taylor Sheridan
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
