CBS’ New Kayce Spinoff Pays Off One Part Of Yellowstone’s Ending I Was Worried Would Be Ignored

CBS will pay off a vital part of Yellowstone season 5’s ending, setting up a spinoff for Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), John Dutton III’s (Kevin Costner) prodigal son. While Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone exit as John Dutton riddled the series’ final chapter with disputes, there were still things that Yellowstone season 5, part 2 got right. One of the season’s best parts was the way that John Dutton’s children, Kayce and Beth (Kelly Reilly), stepped up to protect and maintain his way of life after the governor of Montana was assassinated in his home.

While Yellowstone season 5 ended with Kayce selling the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch to Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and the Broken Rock Tribe, his story wasn’t over, so I’m relieved to see it continue. Amid the events of season 5, a casting deal broke the news that Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser would reprise Beth and Rip in a Yellowstone spinoff, confirming the story would move forward for at least one of John’s kids. However, Kayce Dutton will also have a Yellowstone spinoff on CBS, which takes full advantage of his story potential and fulfills something I predicted in season 5.

Yellowstone’s Ending Set Up A Kayce Spinoff & I’m Relieved It’s Actually Happening

Kayce Dutton Will Have A Broadcast TV Spinoff

Amid the events of Yellowstone season 5, part 2, I firmly believed Yellowstone screenwriter Taylor Sheridan set up two independent Yellowstone continuations: one for Beth and one for Kayce. This clicked for me while watching Yellowstone season 5, episode 10, “The Apocalypse of Change.” The chapter was muddled with flashbacks to before John’s death. While the divisive flashbacks turned many fans off, I actually liked seeing Kayce and Beth settle into their individual lives a bit, and I distinctly remember thinking that John’s children would both star in their own shows.

“The Apocalypse of Change,” flashbacks show Kayce, Tate (Brecken Merrill), and Monica (Kelsey Asbille) checking out East Camp. While it could have just been setting up his epilogue, I could see Sheridan spinning the wheels of Kayce’s continuation in the development. Yellowstone season 5, part 2 got a lot of flak, and its confusing flashbacks were a significant part of that. While I understood the frustration, I saw the divisive flashbacks as a lens forward into Yellowstone’s future rather than a confusing reference to its past. I’m relieved it’s happening, because Kayce will be great in his show.

Kayce Being In Beth & Rip’s Spinoff (Or Another Yellowstone Show) Wouldn’t Have Worked

Beth, Rip, And Kayce Deserve Their Spotlight

It would have been simple enough to include Kayce in Beth and Rip’s Yellowstone spinoff, but it wouldn’t have worked. Beth and Rip’s continuation is an exciting prospect, with a rich tapestry of backstory and material to draw from. Including Grimes’ Kayce in the mix could have distracted from the story, not allowing it to lean into the Yellowstone power couple as its main characters. Kayce was John’s youngest son and a far cry from a supporting character in Yellowstone’s ensemble cast. It would have been unthinkable to delegate Kayce to the background as Beth and Rip took the spotlight.

Especially after the events of Yellowstone season 5, part 2, Kayce deserves to be a main character. John’s son rose to the challenge of protecting his legacy, despite selling the family’s heirloom ranch. In Yellowstone season 5, episode 11, “Three Fifty-Three,” Kayce uses his background as a Navy SEAL to prove John Dutton could have been assassinated, successfully getting his death investigation reopened as a homicide. Since Kayce’s Yellowstone spinoff will be formatted as a procedural for CBS, the show might lean into Kayce’s background in the teams, leaning into his military experience, as Yellowstone season 5 did.