Amid a heavy dose of machismo and the constant barrage of male characters full of braggadocio, a character like Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) could have easily gotten lost in the background of “Yellowstone.” Showrunner and co-creator Taylor Sheridan has become a prolific writer that’s relied on actors that can sell his particular brand of badass, and surprisingly, Beth has become the most feared woman in television after five seasons on the ranch.
Sheridan’s lone-wolf style of writing and brash confidence has managed to pay off in a big way now that the shows he’s responsible for are almost single-handedly holding up an entire streaming service over at Paramount+. The Paramount Network has also enjoyed a huge cable ratings boost thanks to the massive appeal of “Yellowstone” and its generational spin-offs “1883” and “1923.”
Once upon a time, HBO had the chance to bring “Yellowstone” to the network when Sheridan was pitching a movie version of the Dutton family saga, calling it “The Godfather” in Montana. The concept wound up in series development where Sheridan was hit with a few executive notes and suggestions that started to undermine what the show was actually about. Eventually, Sheridan was compelled to draw a line in the dirt based on comments that the character of Beth was too intense to be liked by a mainstream audience. Or more to the point, that women just wouldn’t find her relatable.
The request to make Beth a little more likable was summarily rejected and effectively ended the possibility of “Yellowstone” ever appearing in that coveted Sunday night slot that shows like “The Sopranos” helped to build.
‘We think she’s too abrasive’
Now, after five seasons of “Yellowstone,” Beth has become one of the main reasons to tune into “Yellowstone.” What will she do next? Who will she pummel in a fistfight this week? Or ruin financially for the sake of her family? At the time, HBO executives didn’t see that as a selling point. In an in-depth interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sheridan shared his recollection of what the other side of the phone call in question sounded like from his point-of-view:
“‘We think she’s too abrasive. We want to tone her down. Women won’t like her.’ They were wrong, because Beth says the quiet part out loud every time. When someone’s rude to you in a restaurant, or cuts you off in the parking lot, Beth says the thing you wish you’d said.”
To be fair, sometimes Beth does act without impunity, to the point where some of her decisions almost make her ferocity feel shallow and impetuous. Going to jail for beating up a cowgirl who made the mistake of flirting with her man Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) or ending up in a post-dinner brawl with a plucky environmentalist (Piper Perabo) just makes Beth look borderline ridiculous at times. Is she a real person, or a cartoon character?
Maybe HBO had similar thoughts about the wild ways of Beth Dutton, too. In any case, TV history was made that day. It may have not worked out for HBO, but Sheridan couldn’t imagine finding a better home now that he’s kicked up his heels over at Paramount. When Sheridan retells the story to THR, you can almost picture him grinning when he recalls what he said next. “So I said to them, ‘OK, everybody done? Who on this call is responsible for a scripted show that you guys have on the air? Oh, you’re not? Thanks.’ And I hung up. They never called back.”