Finding the Pulse in Entertainment
A beating heart is crucial for all living things. Destroy the heart, and you destroy the life. This applies to entertainment as well.
This theory came to mind as I thought about two popular streaming shows: House of Cards and Yellowstone. In both shows, the leading men who were the show’s protagonists—Kevin Spacey and Kevin Costner—were not in the final season, and the success of both shows varies.
House of Cards did not do well without Kevin Spacey’s iconic lead role as Frank Underwood. In 2017, Spacey faced allegations of sexual abuse and had been dropped from the show. When Spacey posted a Christmas Eve video on YouTube in 2018—his first public appearance after sexual accusations had been made against him the year before—it had more viewers than the entire last season of the show.
On the other hand, Yellowstone lost Kevin Costner, but it did not lose its audience—16.4 million viewers watched the premiere, and 13.1 million tuned in for the series finale. Why did this happen? Unlike Spacey, who was the beating heart of House of Cards, Costner was not the same for Yellowstone.
Spacey’s absence highlights the significant role he played in the show’s success. In the sixth and final season of House of Cards, Claire Underwood took over as the protagonist and narrator. Although Robin Wright’s character was strongly written, she couldn’t quite match the charisma of Spacey’s Frank Underwood. Spacey was not just the protagonist; he was the guide through the first five seasons. He has an undeniable presence onscreen that is difficult to match.
To get an idea of how charismatic Spacey is, just watch the 2018 video. At the time, he hadn’t had his day in court, and most people thought he was guilty. In the video, his narration blends two personas: the real-life Kevin Spacey and his Frank Underwood character. It isn’t clear why he made the video, yet he remains an engaging speaker throughout it. Even if you assume the worst about him, you can’t take your eyes off him.
After being found innocent in court both in 2022 and 2023, Spacey did an interview with Tucker Carlson in 2023. The last several years had not taken a toll on his charisma. Watch the Tucker interview, and you will see that he hasn’t lost a step. Removing an actor with such a magnetic presence from a show takes away a huge part of what makes that show work. In other words, it kills the show’s beating heart.
Kevin Costner undoubtedly has movie star appeal, but he doesn’t dominate Yellowstone. That’s because the show is not just about him. His character, John Dutton, holds the Dutton family together, and there is no question about who the boss is in the family. However, Cole Hauser’s character, Rip Wheeler, fills this role as well. As the leader of the ranch hands, Rip also plays a crucial part in holding the Dutton family together.
Most Yellowstone fans would agree that Kelly Reilly’s character, Beth Dutton is the show’s most prominent female lead. With her fierce personality, she knows how to take care of herself and will destroy anyone who threatens the Dutton family, including her brother Jamie.
In the final season of Yellowstone, it is clear that Hauser and Reilly can still carry the show without Costner. This is not lost on the showrunners, as they are considering a Yellowstone spinoffs that focuses on Rip and Beth.
So, what is the beating heart of Yellowstone? That would be the saga of the Dutton family There are already had two successful spin-offs about the Dutton family,1883 and 1923. A third prequel spinoff, 1944, is currently in the works. There is talk about another spinoff that takes place in modern times called The Madison.
Viewers have made it clear that they want to see more of the Dutton family, even if the show doesn’t feature any of the original Yellowstone characters. There is some character overlap across the shows, such as Elsa Dutton from 1883 narrating both 1923 and the Yellowstone finale. When Yellowstone centers around a family, it takes more than a single character’s departure to stop the show’s beating heart.
To understand this idea, consider the cinematic narrative universes for comic book movies and the Star Wars franchise. While there have been some good films, there have also been lots of failures. Despite the success of Deadpool vs. Wolverine, 2024 saw its fair share of failed comic book films. Despite this, there are still plenty of comic book films in the works. Robert Downey Jr. is reportedly being paid $80 million to play Doctor Doom. A new Superman film is slated for release this summer.
Likewise, since Disney bought the Star Wars franchise from George Lucas, there have been successes, such as The Force Awakens, and failures, such as Solo and The Last Jedi. However, 2025 will see more Star Wars–related shows, including Andor and Visions.
The reason Star Wars and comic book movies continue to be successful, despite the number of failures, is the strong, interconnected setting has been created for these films. Like the story of the Dutton family, these franchises have a huge cast of characters and time periods to choose from. George Lucas, DC, and Marvel created fictional worlds that would need multiple failures to fully stop their beating hearts.
It can be argued that the Dutton family saga has a better track record than comic book movies or Star Wars. Even though the last season of Yellowstone was not as well received as previous seasons, the creator Taylor Sheridan has yet to make a major flop in the Dutton family saga. Viewers trust him to continue the Dutton family story in several spin-offs. Likewise, viewers are tuning into Landman, another show created by Sheridan, which follows a red-state family trying to stick together in the face of hardships.
It’s clear that the beating heart of entertainment can take many forms. However, once you recognize the heart, you won’t be surprised by the show’s decline when that heart suddenly stops.
