‘Yellowstone’: How Gretchen Mol Joined the Cast as Evelyn Dutton

Gretchen Mol’s final appearance (so far) on Yellowstone aired on CBS Sunday night, sparking many to wonder about her time on the Paramount Network drama. Mol appeared as Dutton matriarch Evelyn Dutton in two episodes of Yellowstone Season 1, which is currently being re-broadcast on CBS. In one of her only interviews about the show, Mol dished on how she joined the show. It seemed like a pretty straightforward Hollywood offer, but the prospect was more exciting to her due to creator Taylor Sheridan’s involvement.

“I got this call [asking], ‘Do you want to be involved in this show with Taylor Sheridan?’” Mol told TV Insider back in August 2018. “I had just watched Wind River and it was really me just wanting to be a part of whatever he was creating because I knew there’d be good characters. I spoke with Taylor and we talked about who Evelyn was and I was really interested.”

Mol played Evelyn in flashbacks during two Yellowstone Season 1 episodes, “No Good Horses” (Episode 3) and “A Monster Is Among Us” (Episode 7). Episode 3 actually shows Evelyn’s death, one of the most traumatic experiences in the Dutton family. Episode 7, which airs on CBS tonight, sees her have a serious conversation with her daughter Beth.

An odd aspect of Mol’s work on Yellowstone is that she has yet to return to the show. Her on-screen counterpart, Josh Lucas (who plays young John Dutton), has gone on to appear in several more episodes. It’s unclear why she hasn’t been written into more episodes. At the time, she was definitely down to return.

“I think we’re all open to coming back,” she told TV Insider at the time. “Taylor would say that he was excited the whole Dutton family existed together in the flashbacks and he could have fun writing those scenes. He teased whole episodes [of the flashback cast]. I’d love to (do) that, same with Josh Lucas.”

Yellowstone on CBS

CBS is currently airing Yellowstone’s past episodes each Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET. These broadcasts are free to watch if you have a digital antenna. You can also watch them if your cable package includes a local CBS affiliate or via the CBS live stream available within Paramount+.

How to Stream Yellowstone

While Yellowstone airs new episodes on the cable channel Paramount Network, it does not stream on its parent company’s streaming service, Paramount+. Instead, Yellowstone streams on Peacock. All released episodes are currently available there. All the Yellowstone spinoffs stream on Paramount+. (If you don’t have cable, you can also watch Paramount Network via FuboTV.)

About Yellowstone

Yellowstone is a modern western drama focusing on the Dutton family, who own a vast spread of land in Montana. Patriarch John Dutton (Kevin Costner), with the help of employees like ranchhand Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser), does whatever he must to defend his land from physical and political threats. Meanwhile, Dutton’s children — Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) — try to find their place inside and outside their father’s empire. 

Other Yellowstone cast members include Kelsey Asbille, Brecken Merrill, Jefferson White, Gil Birmingham, Forrie J. Smith, Ian Bohen, Ryan Bingham, Jennifer Landon, Wendy Moniz, Mo Brings Plenty, Eden Brolin, Kathryn Kelly, Jake Ream, and Danny Huston. Notable guest/recurring stars include Piper Perabo, Josh Holloway, Josh Lucas, Jacki Weaver, Neal McDonough, Lainey Wilson, Dave Annable, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Will Patton and Zach Bryan.

Yellowstone has spawned several spinoffs, all spear-headed by Taylor Sheridan. Both 1883 and 1923 follow Dutton ancestors. The upcoming Lawmen: Bass Reeves will weave the Yellowstone universe with the real-life story of the groundbreaking Black U.S. Marshall. There are also three more spinoffs — 6666, 1944 and an untitled Matthew-McConaughey-led sequel series — in the works.