Kevin Costner’s Departure Reportedly Forced ‘Yellowstone’ To End Three Seasons Early

Turns out the end of Yellowstone wasn’t exactly part of the plan. According to a new report from Bloomberg, Taylor Sheridan originally had three more seasons of Yellowstone in the works — but those plans were cut short following a high-profile falling out with the show’s star, Kevin Costner. That means the neo-Western phenomenon that helped redefine cable TV ended a full three years ahead of schedule, and not because Sheridan was ready to wrap things up. The report stated:

“Yellowstone ended about three seasons before Sheridan had hoped because of a conflict with Costner.”

This isn’t shocking news for diehard Duttonheads who’ve been following the drama for over a year. Behind the scenes, Sheridan and Costner reportedly clashed over filming schedules and contract terms. Costner, who was simultaneously prepping his own multi-part Western epic Horizon, eventually walked away from the series altogether. That left fans to watch Yellowstone Season 5B without the family’s central figure, John Dutton, who was killed off in unceremonious fashion from the series.

Back in May 2023, Costner even threatened legal action against the network, telling Deadline, “I made a contract for seasons five, six and seven. They wanted to redo that one, and instead of seasons 6 and 7, it was 5A and 5B, and maybe we’ll do six.” Instead, Yellowstone went on hiatus midway through Season 5, only to return nearly a year later with a rewritten finale that served as a full stop on the Dutton family saga. This was a huge shift for a show that, at its peak, was pulling in over 10 million viewers per episode. The Season 4 finale alone proved just how massive the series had become — and how little interest there was in ending it any time soon.

Will There Be More ‘Yellowstone’ Shows?

Of course, the Dutton story isn’t really over. Not even close. Sheridan, David Glasser, and Chris McCarthy are hard at work expanding the universe. Dutton Ranch, featuring Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser as Beth and Rip, is due this fall on the Paramount Network. A Kayce Dutton spin-off starring Luke Grimes is headed to CBS in 2026. The Madison, a Montana-set drama starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell and Matthew Fox, is also in the works. And let’s not forget 1944, the third prequel in the timeline that began with 1883 and 1923.

So yes, we lost three more seasons of Yellowstone. But in return, we’re getting four new shows. And knowing Sheridan, there are probably more waiting in the wings. Despite that, there was something magic about Yellowstone at its peak, with Costner as the patriarch at the head of a warring family. Whether the sequel series can recapture that is another question entirely.

Yellowstone is streaming now on Peacock.