Despite knowing about Kevin Costner‘s departure months ago, fans tuning into Part 2 of Yellowstone‘s fifth and final season were treated with a shocking farewell to ranching patriarch John Dutton. Before detailing precisely what transpired in the Part 2 premiere, the ripple effect throughout Montana and Yellowstone National Park will reach the periphery and touch all involved.
With five more episodes in store, the real question becomes how Dutton’s dramatic exit will impact his family, friends, rivals, ranchers, politicians, and Indigenous Americans vying for control of the land. While some answers may be provided in the upcoming spinoffs, including The Madison, it’s time to reflect on how Dutton’s tragic departure was conceived and executed.
- Release Date
- June 20, 2018
- Streaming Service(s)
- Paramount+ , Peacock
What Is Yellowstone About?
Taylor Sheridan and John Linson created Yellowstone, an epic American neo-western TV series following the Dutton family. Led by John Dutton (Kevin Costner), the story concerns the cultural and economic clash between those living on the border of Yellowstone National Park. On one side lies the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, a large traditional family of cattle ranchers wielding tremendous influence over the region.
On the other side of Yellowstone, natives in the Broken Rock Indian Reservation vie for control of the land. The sprawling drama covers several decades and follows Dutton’s gigantic family tree, depicting an American frontier fraught with peril as the Industrial Revolution ushers in sweeping technological change and massive land development. Yellowstone made its Paramount Network premiere in 2018, lasting five seasons and 53 episodes and spawning multiple spin-offs.
Why Did Kevin Costner Leave Yellowstone?
In early 2024, Kevin Costner’s impending departure from Yellowstone was made public. Citing scheduling issues as the primary reason, Costner left the series when Taylor Sheridan pushed back principal photography to develop the spin-offs, namely the unreleased 6666.
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Once the Yellowstone schedule was delayed, Costner bet on himself by investing $38 million in his epic Western movie Horizon: An American Saga. The risky bet backfired ingloriously, with Horizon bombing so badly that it was shortly pulled from theaters. Once the decision was made to cleave Season 5 in half and air the series’ six final episodes two years after the season premiere, Sheridan had plenty of time to conceive and write Costner’s exit from the show. Here’s how it all went down.
How Kevin Costner Was Written Out of Yellowstone, Explained
Despite expecting to say goodbye to John Dutton in some fashion, fans were still stunned when Yellowstone finally returned for Season 5 Part 2. Within the first five minutes of Season 5, Episode 9, “Desire Is All You Need,” viewers saw the literal writing on the wall. And the floor. When police suddenly flooded Dutton’s gubernatorial mansion in Montana in an emergency response, viewers were steered toward a dead body on the ground. Although Costner’s face was not shown, a handgun beside a puddle of blood suggested John Dutton’s suicide via gunshot. Moments later, John’s son Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) tearfully announces his father’s death to the press, calling to mind a suspicious moment that occurred earlier in Season 5.
In Season 5, Episode 8, “A Knife and No Coin,” Jamie and his girlfriend discussed potentially hiring trained killers to murder his father, doing so in retaliation for John Dutton conspiring to take Jamie out. Therefore, the remaining five episodes will give viewers answers regarding who is responsible for John Dutton’s heartbreaking death, though it’s been heavily alluded to. As depicted on screen, Costner’s exit as John Dutton appeared to be suicide via handgun. Digging deeper, it seems Sarah went through with her plans to eliminate Jamie’s father before he could give final approval. The truth will come when Yellowstone concludes its final episode on December 15, 2024. Yellowstone is available to stream on Peacock.