Yellowstone Creator Taylor Sheridan Had One Condition To Not Kill Off Ryan Bingham

Ryan Bingham's Walker is one of the most memorable characters on "Yellowstone," not least because he's the only ranch hand who opposes the Duttons' wicked ways — for a while, anyway. While everyone else plays cards in the bunkhouse, Walker develops a contentious relationship with Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) that nearly results in the singing cowboy being sent to the infamous "Train Station." Despite bringing a moralistic perspective to the series, Walker was never envisioned as a long-term character and was only allowed to stay under one condition.

In a 2019 interview with Wide Open Country, Bingham revealed that Sheridan brought on the musician-turned-actor just to perform a few songs, only to keep him on board full-time, provided he earned his keep. "Once we met and started hanging out, [Sheridan] found out I grew up riding horses — my family ranched out in New Mexico — so I grew up doing a lot of that kind of cowboy stuff," Bingham told the outlet. "He said, 'I'll just write something small' (and said) 'If you do good, I'll keep you in there and if you suck, we'll just kill you off.'"

In the end, Bingham stuck around until "Yellowstone" rode off into the sunset. In that time, Sheridan wrote some stellar scenes for the character, including a fistfight for the ages, with Walker opposing Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith) in Season 4's "Winning or Learning." However, Bingham is the first to admit that some find his character a bit frustrating at times.

While Walker is one of the more notable supporting players on "Yellowstone," he is also one of the most divisive characters. There are several spells where he is a thorn in the Duttons' side, which struck a nerve with some viewers who were fully supportive of the family. Soon after his introduction, Walker hooks up with Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly), despite the fact Rip — arguably the most popular character in the entire franchise — is in love with her. What's more, the cowboy spends most of his time singing songs, which gets grating after a while.

That said, Bingham acknowledges the fact Walker is polarizing in the eyes of "Yellowstone" viewers. "Man, there's a ton of people that want me to go to the Train Station for sure," the actor told Taste of Country in 2022. Nevertheless, Walker is alive and well in the "Yellowstone" universe. As Paramount adds more spin-offs to the franchise, including a Beth and Rip-centric sequel series, there is every possibility that the character will be brought back for a grisly send-off down the line — especially if Sheridan grows unhappy with Bingham's performances.