‘Yellowstone’: Country Singer Joins Cast in Season 1, Episode 5

Fans watching the Yellowstone encore episodes on CBS on Sunday will see the introduction of a key character in the show’s story. During Yellowstone Season 1, Episode 5 (“Coming Home”), the drama series welcomed a new face to its cast: country singer Ryan Bingham. Bingham is an acclaimed country artist with six studio albums under his belt, including 2007’s Mescalito and 2019’s American Love Song. He is no stranger to acting, either, appearing in country- and western-themed films Crazy Heart, Hostiles and Your Right Mind.

The singer’s character fills a void left at the Yellowstone Ranch when the team is forced to fire a ranch hand after he assaults a member of the ranch’s close-knit “branded” members. They take care of that aggressive worker with a trip to “the train station,” leaving an opening on the staff.

John Dutton tells his right-hand man Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) to find a new worker to fill the void, but he wants this one to be immediately branded and forced to live up to the group’s expectations. He tells Rip to find a man fresh out of prison, and that is where we meet Bingham’s character, Walker. Rip waits outside the jail and calls out to Walker. He then quizzes the stranger on his cowboy credentials. Walker reveals he worked at several ranches down in Texas before becoming locked up while working at an operation up in Montana.

“I’m cowboy enough,” Walker says.

Rip then lets him know they could you a man like him at Yellowstone Ranch, but he needs to know what exactly got him locked up. Walker confesses that it was a manslaughter charge brought on by an accidental death during a bar fight.

“Manslaughter. Really ain’t much to know,” Walker said. “Dude got mouthy at a bar and swung on me. I swung back and hit him right between the eyes. F—er just went down and died. Can’t explain it.”

Rip then makes him promise that his “swinging” days are over, and then Walker hopes in the truck and heads on the Yellowstone Ranch. Walker soon becomes acclimated to the ranch, serenades the other ranch hands (with Bingham’s 2010 song “All Choked Up Again”) and joins the branded brotherhood.

Since this debut, Bingham has gone on to be credited in 31 Yellowstone episodes and has become a fan-favorite as Walker. There’s even speculation that he’ll be a big part of the long-rumored 6666 spinoff, which would follow a ranch that Walker previously worked at.

“I really don’t know. I think he’s been running from a lot of things in his past and not sure if he’d want to go back to where he just came from,” Bingham told us in 2022. “I guess it would have to just depend on the incentives.”

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.

Note: A previous version of this article appeared on our sister site, ComicBook.com.