Movies - TV
Beth Dutton Cost HBO The Chance To Make Yellowstone
By DREW TINNIN
While a character like Beth Dutton could have been lost in the background among her male “Yellowstone” counterparts, she has become one of the most feared women in television.
Showrunner and co-creator Taylor Sheridan created a series that is almost single-handedly holding up Paramount+, though the streaming platform wasn’t his first choice — it was HBO.
When Sheridan was pitching a movie version of the Dutton family saga to HBO, they felt that Beth was too intense and unrelatable to be liked by a mainstream audience.
The request to make Beth a little more likable was summarily rejected by Sheridan and effectively ended the possibility of "Yellowstone" ever appearing on HBO.
According to Sheridan, the HBO executives said, “We think she's too abrasive. We want to tone her down. Women won't like her.” However, the showrunner disagreed.
Sheridan added, “They were wrong because Beth says the quiet part out loud every time. [...] Beth says the thing you wish you'd said.”
He continued, “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.”
Although HBO never called back, TV history was made that day, and Sheridan couldn't imagine finding a better home now that he's kicked up his heels over at Paramount.