“‘Yellowstone’ Struggled After Kevin Costner’s Departure, but the Series Finale Honored Its Peak Moments”
Kevin Costner’s early exit from Yellowstone spelled trouble for the show.
This kind of departure often spells the end for a series. Just as no The Office fan champions the seasons after Steve Carell left, or The X-Files lost its spark once David Duchovny departed, the final season of House of Cards without Kevin Spacey felt forgettable—even though replacing him was the right call. Similarly, Costner made a bold, but questionable, decision to leave the wildly successful Yellowstone after the first half of Season 5. He chose instead to focus on his passion project, Horizon, a big-budget film series. Fast-forward to the end of 2024, and Yellowstone remains a ratings powerhouse, while the first Horizon film bombed at the box office, and the second still doesn’t have a release date.
Despite the questionable financial decision, Costner’s departure felt like a definitive one, pushing co-creator Taylor Sheridan to rework the final six episodes of Season 5 as a tribute to his iconic character, John Dutton. The ranch owner had been the heart of the show, the emotional fulcrum around which everything revolved. While the initial episodes of the final season faltered, the series finale ultimately offered a fitting farewell that tapped into Yellowstone‘s peak emotional depth.
Season 5B started off slow, with the show seeming to drag as it tried to wrap up its complex storylines. John Dutton’s death was foreshadowed repeatedly, taking far too long to actually happen. Flashbacks were used liberally, sapping the momentum of the plot. And at times, it felt as though the show, once known for explosive shootouts, intense drama, and high-stakes confrontations, was losing its edge, bogged down by product placement and unnecessary distractions.
But then came the finale, “Life Is a Promise,” which ultimately saved the day. The episode stood out because it embraced the two most essential—and contrasting—elements that made Yellowstone a hit: brutal violence and soulful cowboy philosophy. The violence reached its zenith in the high-stakes showdown between Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie (Wes Bentley). The two siblings engaged in a brutal, blood-soaked fight, culminating in Beth stabbing Jamie in the heart. This moment, years in the making, finally delivered the catharsis the series had been building to. For fans invested in the tumultuous Dutton family dynamic, it was the long-awaited release of years of pent-up tension.
