Carter Character Guide: Finn Little in Dutton Ranch
Carter Green is the teenager taken in by Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler during Yellowstone, played by Finn Little in Dutton Ranch. Now pursuing high school in South Texas, Carter's Season 1 arc is a brutal coming-of-age: he falls for Oreana Lynn Jackson, gets arrested defending her at a rodeo, witnesses old rancher Dwight White's murder by Sheriff Wade, says "I love you" too early, spirals into vandalism, and walks away from the ranch in Episode 8 — before Mariano Reyes's cartel kidnaps him in the Season 1 finale, making him the hostage at the center of Season 2.
Dutton Ranch
Finn Little
Lead - Coming of Age
Season 1, Episode 1
Carter is the living proof that Beth and Rip can build something beyond destruction. His coming-of-age arc gives Dutton Ranch its emotional stakes: the South Texas fight is not only about land or pride, but about whether Beth and Rip can create a home where Carter can become more than another damaged survivor of the Yellowstone world.
Follow Carter Green's transformative journey through the series
Carter's Season 1 is a coming-of-age forged in violence and heartbreak. He meets Oreana Lynn Jackson at a rodeo and is arrested defending her — she bails him out, and they begin a tentative romance complicated by their five-year age gap and warring families. Oreana introduces him to old rancher Dwight White and his pet leopard Xena, but in Episode 5, Carter watches Sheriff Wade murder Dwight and is intimidated into silence. The trauma compounds: he tells Oreana "I love you" too early and she pulls away, their relationship fractures, he spirals into vandalizing property, and in Episode 8 Carter walks away from the ranch entirely — the most painful rejection of the Dutton world since Kayce left Montana. Then the finale turns everything: home alone and expecting Oreana at the door, Carter opens it to Mariano's cartel men instead, and is taken as a hostage. Mariano tells Beth directly that he has Carter — leverage to force Beth and Rip into the open — and Season 1 ends with a rescue mission set up as Season 2's starting point.
Resilient
Impulsive
Traumatized
Romantic
Conflicted
Beth Dutton (Adoptive Mother)
Rip Wheeler (Adoptive Father)
Carter represents the next generation of the Dutton story: a boy without a biological family who finds purpose through Beth and Rip, then has to decide whether the Dutton name means belonging, burden, or both in Texas.
2006
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Finn Little is an Australian actor who gained international recognition for his role in the action film Those Who Wish Me Dead alongside Angelina Jolie, which led to his casting in Yellowstone.
Carter's full name is revealed as Carter Green in Season 1. His arc spans the full emotional range: the thrill of first love with Oreana, the terror of witnessing Dwight White's murder, the heartbreak of saying "I love you" too soon, and the despair that drives him to vandalism and ultimately walking away from the ranch. Finn Little delivers his most mature performance as a young man who absorbs too much trauma too fast and breaks under the weight.
The moment that fractures Carter's Season 1 is Dwight White's death. Carter watches Sheriff Wade shoot an unarmed old man in the back, then is intimidated into silence about what really happened. The forced complicity in injustice poisons everything that follows — his relationship with Oreana, his trust in authority, his willingness to stay in a world where such things happen without consequence.
The Season 1 finale, "El Padrino," ends with Carter's kidnapping. Alone at the house late at night, he opens the door expecting Oreana and is overpowered by men working for Mariano Reyes — the cartel boss running fentanyl smuggling through 10 Petal's cattle operation. Carter is taken alive, not as a target but as leverage: Mariano confirms to Beth that he has the boy, betting that Beth and Rip's loyalty to their adopted son is unconditional. Paramount+'s Season 2 guide lists Finn Little among the expected returning ensemble, with the rescue mission as the new season's clear starting point.
Finn Little is one of only three actors to transition from Yellowstone to Dutton Ranch.
Little was discovered by Taylor Sheridan after his performance in Those Who Wish Me Dead.
Carter's character arc in Dutton Ranch focuses on his transition from boy to young man.
At 20 years old during filming, Little brings maturity to a character audiences have watched grow up on screen.
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Q&A
Dutton Ranch Season 1 has 9 episodes, all now streaming. The Season 1 finale El Padrino aired July 3, 2026. Season 2 has been officially renewed and is expected in mid-to-late 2027.
Dutton Ranch was renewed for Season 2 on June 24, 2026. Benjamin Cavell is the new showrunner. Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser return as Beth and Rip, with Carter's kidnapping and Mariano's cartel operation driving the next story. No premiere date has been announced.
Dutton Ranch started on Friday, May 15, 2026, with a two-episode premiere. All 9 Season 1 episodes are streaming, including the July 3 finale El Padrino. Season 2 has been officially renewed.
Dutton Ranch Season 1 has earned 89% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and drew 12.9 million global viewers — the biggest Paramount+ original debut ever. Season 2 has been renewed. Fans praise Beth and Rip's chemistry, Ed Harris as Everett McKinney, Annette Bening as Beulah Jackson, and Carter's Texas arc.
Yes — Dutton Ranch is a direct sequel to Yellowstone. All 9 Season 1 episodes are streaming, the July 3 finale is complete, and Season 2 has been renewed. Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler rebuild in Rio Paloma, Texas.
All 9 Dutton Ranch Season 1 episodes are streaming on Paramount+. The season finished with the July 3 finale El Padrino, and Season 2 has been officially renewed.