Yellowstone Season 5 Ending Proves Taylor Sheridan That Kevin Costner Still Has The Last Laugh

Despite being able to continue after he left, Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone ending proves that Kevin Costner still has the last laugh. Playing the Dutton family patriarch, John III, the veteran actor was at the forefront of the Neo-Western hit on Paramount+. Yellowstone is technically an ensemble, with compelling stories for Beth, Kayce, and Jamie, as well as the rest of the ranch. However, it was clear from the get-go that Costner was going to be its face, which made sense, considering his star power. That was until he left the project following a lengthy hiatus.

Costner’s exit from Yellowstone was for several reasons. None of the involved parties have really sat down and talked about it extensively, but according to reports, one of the main reasons for the actor’s decision to walk away from the show is creative friction with Sheridan. At one point during the show’s extended break, there were hopes that a middle ground would be reached, but that didn’t happen. Ultimately, Sheridan found a way to explain his main star’s absence by kicking off Yellowstone season 5, part 2 with the murder of John III.

Yellowstone Was Forced To End Because Of Kevin Costner’s Exit

Sheridan Had Long Decided On Yellowstone’s Ending

John’s murder set the final stories of the rest of the Duttons in motion. Considering Costner permanently leaving Yellowstone, Sheridan didn’t really have a choice but to give his character a definitive farewell. As subsequently revealed, however, John’s death was always going to be a precursor to the show’s ending. Sheridan had long decided how the Dutton ranch’s story would end, and Costner’s exit only fast-tracked Yellowstone‘s send-off. This means that if the actor opted to stay in the series, the hit Neo-Western hit would likely have continued.

Paramount+ and Sheridan moving beyond season 5 isn’t difficult to imagine, considering how popular Yellowstone continues to be. This is evidenced by the upcoming sequel spinoff for Beth and Rip, which is essentially a follow-up to the flagship series, only this time, it’s more focused on them. Admittedly, because of the limited remaining episodes, the Dutton patriarch’s death wasn’t as explored as in-depth as possible. That being said, John’s funeral taking up a significant screentime of the Yellowstone finale shows that the narrative lives and dies with Costner and his character.

Why Yellowstone Couldn’t Continue Much Longer After Kevin Costner Left

John III’s Kids Were Leading Separate Lives

When Yellowstone season 5, part 2 returned, it only had 6 episodes left to tie all the lingering storylines for a satisfying ending. It felt rushed at times, especially since it could have spent more time tackling side characters’ storylines. That being said, doing another full season of the show without John III also didn’t seem like the right decision. Without the Dutton family patriarch, the core of the show is lost. All of John III’s kids were living quite separate lives. Granted that Beth and Jamie had a collective arc, but it was adversarial.

John III and the ranch’s state were often the only things that brought them together. This isn’t to say that Beth, Kayce, and Jamie’s respective narratives aren’t interesting. All of them had compelling stories throughout Yellowstone. It’s just that it’s difficult to tie them all back together without the only thing that’s binding them. Because of that, it would have been a better way forward to tackle their stories individually without being held back by the ranch affairs, hence why Beth and Rip’s spinoff is a great idea.

How Yellowstone Would Have Looked Like If Costner Didn’t Leave

John III Being A Governor Would Have Been Interesting

When Yellowstone season 5, part 1 ended, John III was the governor of Montana. The character had long been a big figure in the state, being the owner of a massive ranch. However, entering the political arena gave him the power and reach to protect his interests. Granted that he was mainly focused on serving his personal purpose, his commitment to preserving the natural beauty and state of the ranch and its surrounding area was objectively the right way to go.

Had Costner stayed with Yellowstone, it’s safe to say that the rest of season 5 and into the next year would be about him navigating the politics in Montana. It’s worth noting that he was new to the setting. He had long been involved in the machinations of how the government worked in his home state, but he was always a power player on the sidelines. Being at the forefront of it would expose him to more adversaries. While the position gave him additional power, it also made him more vulnerable to foes and the public’s criticism.

In terms of his personal life, being the governor would have given him more opportunities to work with Jamie, who was the attorney general. Yellowstone had tackled the complex nature of the pair’s relationship, but it was always through the lens of being father and son. With John III and Jamie’s new dynamic as part of Montana’s governing body, Sheridan could have injected something new into their relationship and saw how that would have affected their respective ties to Beth. Overall, it would have been interesting to see how he waded into those complications.

Yellowstone Continues John III’s Legacy With Beth & Rip’s Spinoff

John III’s Closest Successors Will Continue Yellowstone’s Story

There was some confusion about what the Yellowstone season 5 finale really meant to the show as a whole. Ahead of the show’s return for its final episodes, there were conflicting reports that a season 6 and/or sequel show may actually be happening. Because of this, the series ending was referenced as just a season-capper. Now, however, it has already been announced that Beth and Rip will star in their own offshoot, which is essentially a continuation of the Yellowstone ending, where they moved to a new farm in Dillon, Montana, with their foster son, Carter.

Beth and Rip Yellowstone spinoff may be an entirely new show, but Costner’s legacy would be all over it. Beth was a daddy’s girl. Even when she didn’t agree with the Dutton patriarch, she was always very loyal to him. It’s safe to say that she will continue to protect her father’s name even with the ranch already sold, if someone tries to tarnish it. Meanwhile, Rip may not be a blood relative, but he was more committed to him than his other kids. Like his wife, he’ll continue to do that in his new show.