What Would Yellowstone’s Ending Have Looked Like If Kevin Costner Hadn’t Left The Show?

Yellowstone has sadly come to an end after the season 5 finale, and it all happened without Kevin Costner’s John Dutton III, since the actor exited the show in 2023. If Costner had stuck around for the second part of Yellowstone season 5, things might have been a lot different. However, the neo-Western drama TV show created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson has seemingly concluded (unless the rumors about Yellowstone season 6 still happening are true), and John’s story is over.

The Yellowstone season 5, part 2 premiere revealed that John died presumably by suicide, but viewers (and Beth) knew that wasn’t the truth. In reality, Sarah Atwood hired assassins to kill John. They staged it as a suicide, and it wasn’t until Kayce pushed the medical examiner to take a second look at his father’s body that the police changed his cause of death. Detective Dillard reopened John’s case, and after Sarah died, all eyes were on Jamie. Ultimately, Beth helped complete John’s story when she murdered Jamie during the finale and told Dillard the truth (aside from her brother’s death, of course).

Would Yellowstone Have Ended With Season 5?

Paramount Only Announced Yellowstone’s End After Kevin Costner Left

One of the biggest “what ifs” concerning Kevin Costner’s exit from Yellowstone is if the show would continue after season 5 if John was still in the picture. Once Costner announced his departure, Paramount quickly reported that Yellowstone would end after season 5. Consequently, many believed that the two announcements were connected. Perhaps Paramount believed that losing the face of the series was a death sentence for Yellowstone, and they canceled it. The fact that the two reports were released back-to-back certainly doesn’t feel coincidental, after all.

Taylor Sheridan reportedly had a seven-year plan for Yellowstone. He had an idea about how it would begin and how it would end once it hit seven seasons. So, fans previously thought that meant the neo-Western drama’s series finale would come at the end of season 7. Once Costner left, though, that plan was suddenly thrown out the window and the story’s timeline was sped up because of Yellowstone‘s cancelation. By all accounts, it certainly seems like Yellowstone wouldn’t have ended after season 5 if Costner didn’t leave the TV show.

John Dutton Would’ve Still Died, But Likely In A Different Way

Taylor Sheridan Claims John’s Fate Was Always The Plan

Yes, Yellowstone‘s ending was certainly accelerated due to Kevin Costner’s exit. However, John’s death would eventually have happened even if the actor didn’t leave the series. It was inevitable. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Taylor Sheridan hinted that John’s fate was always to die. Then, following the airing of Yellowstone season 5, episode 14, executive producer and director Christina Alexandra Voros told TV Insider flat out that Sheridan always planned on killing John. Costner’s character’s death wasn’t a matter of “what,” more so it was a matter of “when” and “when.” Voros explained:

“The ‘what’ of the end of the season was always planned. The ‘how’ may have needed to be adjusted. Taylor [Sheridan] has always known what the ending of this legacy was. I don’t know how Kevin [Costner]’s departure shifted or truncated that, you would have to talk to Taylor about the specifics there. But I know that Taylor always saw where this was going. It’s clear from the way that — if you really study 1883 and 1923 — there are clues about the generational legacy and the destiny of the land. If you really want to get in there with your magnifying glass, you could find clear proof that this is not a casual conclusion. This is something that was always part of a bigger arc of telling the story of the legacy of the Dutton family.”

It makes sense that John’s fate in Yellowstone was always to die. But based on Sheridan and Voros’ comments, the way John died (and when) likely had to change once Costner exited the neo-Western drama series following the season 5, part 1 finale. Given that Costner would still be around, John certainly wouldn’t have been killed off in the Yellowstone season 5, part 2 premiere. Perhaps he would have died differently, too.

Sarah hiring hitmen to murder John made sense for the story’s structure and all the pieces that Sheridan could work with. However, with Costner available, Sheridan might have thought of a different way to kill his character. John could have died of a heart attack or been murdered by someone else. The Yellowstone showrunner also would likely have waited much longer (e.g., until season 7) to incorporate the Dutton family’s patriarch’s death. Whatever the case, it’s evident that Costner’s exit forever changed the course of the show.

The Dutton Ranch’s Fate Would’ve Been The Same

1883’s Prophecy Was Fulfilled

Similar to John dying, the Dutton family leaving the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch by the end of Yellowstone was always in the cards. Giving the land back to Chief Thomas Rainwater and the people of the Broken Rock Reservation was also a certainty, even if Kevin Costner hadn’t exited the Paramount Network series. Those who watched 1883 knew that this would be the ranch’s fate. It didn’t matter if Yellowstone ended after season 5 or ran for a couple more seasons — the story was always going to conclude with the Duttons losing their land.

During 1883‘s ending, James Dutton searched for a place to bury his daughter’s (Elsa) body and came upon Paradise Valley. Spotted Eagle gifted James the land but warned him that in seven generations, his people would rise up and take it back. Just like Spotted Eagle’s prophecy from 1883 stated, Chief Rainwater and the members of the Broken Rock Reservation acquired the land, exactly seven generations after James and his family built their home there. So, the ranch’s fate would have remained the same no matter who left Yellowstone or when it ended.

Would Beth Have Killed Jamie?

Beth & Jamie’s Feud Had To End In Bloodshed

One of the biggest moments of Yellowstone season 5, episode 14, was Beth killing Jamie. At John’s funeral, Beth promised her father that she would avenge him, which is why she murdered her brother. John’s death was certainly the catalyst for Beth’s actions, but one of the two siblings dying was inevitable. If Kevin Costner hadn’t left and John wasn’t killed in season 5, perhaps Jamie wouldn’t have died in the finale. However, because of their long-running feud, Beth would have found another reason to get rid of Jamie, whether it happened as it did in the Yellowstone season 5 finale or later down the road.