Why Kevin Costner’s Exit from Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Won’t Affect the Series Finale
Why Kevin Costner’s Exit from Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Won’t Alter the Series Finale
You might not see much buzz on social media about “Yellowstone,” or even know anyone who watches it. However, since its debut on Paramount Network in 2018, Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western has emerged as a major television phenomenon.
According to Nielsen (via Variety), Season 5A was the most-watched entertainment show of the 2022-2023 TV season, averaging 11.6 million viewers each week. This made the first half of Season 5 the only non-sports program to surpass 10 million viewers weekly. Additionally, when Paramount aired the “Yellowstone” pilot on CBS in 2023, it attracted 6.6 million viewers—half of whom were newcomers to the series—further solidifying its status as a television powerhouse.
Who is tuning in? Primarily older audiences, particularly dads. The show’s appeal to this demographic contributes to the lack of social media hype and explains why younger viewers may not be familiar with Kevin Costner’s character, ranch owner John Dutton. Given Costner’s significant role in the series’ success, his absence in the upcoming Season 5B raised questions among fans about how the show would navigate the loss of its central character.
However, creator Taylor Sheridan was never worried about this issue, as he had a clear vision for the show’s ending from the very beginning.
Costner’s Departure Won’t Change Much
The circumstances surrounding Kevin Costner’s exit from “Yellowstone” have been complicated. Costner has claimed he received no specific scripts for Season 5B, hindering his ability to pursue his passion project, the “Horizon: An American Saga” film series. Conversely, Sheridan and Paramount have stated that Costner’s commitments made it challenging to plan for the season’s second half. This disagreement has led to a lack of cooperation between Costner and the show’s creators, resulting in his confirmed absence from the final episodes.
Despite this upheaval, actress Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton, revealed that the show’s ending was always predetermined. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she stated that Sheridan informed her of the series’ conclusion during Season 1. Executive producer David Glasser echoed this sentiment, confirming that Sheridan had a clear vision from day one.
Reilly explained that John Dutton’s absence had been part of the plan all along. “That’s not something we had to pivot; it was already woven into the story,” she noted. “It was always going to happen, just in a slightly different way.”
Sheridan’s Original Vision
Sheridan had envisioned “Yellowstone” concluding after five seasons. Reilly emphasized that while the show’s success led to demands for more content, Sheridan maintained his original storyline. “It was always going to be five seasons in [Sheridan’s] head,” she said. “In a way, fate took it, and we concluded this part of ‘Yellowstone’ as he had always intended.”
As for how Sheridan will wrap up the series without Costner, fans will have to wait until the tightly-guarded ending of Season 5B is revealed. While speculation continues regarding the fates of key characters like Jamie Dutton and Rip Wheeler, one thing is certain: audiences—especially the show’s dedicated dads—will be eager to see how it all unfolds when Season 5B premieres on November 10, 2024.
