“Yellowstone” fans will get a great series finale even without star Kevin Costner, according to the show's cast.
The Taylor Sheridan-created TV Western returns for the second half of its fifth and final season on Paramount Network on November 10, closing a chapter in the story of the ruthless Dutton family. This ranching dynasty from Montana has been fighting for their legacy and land on the small screen since 2018.
Costner had played family patriarch John Dutton from the beginning, but he was not contracted to appear in the final six episodes of “Yellowstone” because of a scheduling conflict with his “Horizon: An American Saga” films.
However, one of the show's cast members and producers have said that his absence won't take the shine off the finale.
“I read the last episode the day before filming started,” Luke Grimes, who plays Costner's son, Casey Dutton, said in an interview. Entertainment Weekly“I couldn't be happier. I think it's the perfect ending for every character on the show. It's a testament to how good a writer Taylor is, and it's a really deep, beautiful ending. I can't wait to sit down and watch it one day.”
“Yellowstone” executive producer David Glasser also told EW that Sheridan knew from the beginning how he wanted the show to end.
“On day one, in episode one, Taylor said, ‘I know exactly how this is going to end,’” Glasser said.
“When we were shooting Season 1, they told me the end of the show,” star Kelly Reilly, beloved by fans for playing the ballbusting Beth Dutton, said, echoing Glasser's words.
“Taylor always had five seasons in mind, but because the show became so successful, the network and everybody wanted more,” he said.
“So, in a way, fate took over and we ended this part of Yellowstone the way they always planned,” Reilly added, alluding to Costner's absence in the final episode.
“It doesn't change anything as far as Beth's desire to protect her family lineage,” he said of Costner's character not appearing in the final half of Season 5. “It actually makes it more urgent.”
And though none of the cast members will reveal what happens to Costner's John Dutton, they are all unanimous in Glasser's message to the audience. “If you think you know what's going to happen, Taylor will always give you a surprise you never expected,” the producer said.
Production on the final season of “Yellowstone” was delayed due to the Hollywood writers and actors strike. The final episode of the first installment of Season 5 aired on January 1, 2023, leaving fans eagerly awaiting more than a year and a half. Production on the show finally resumed in May and ended in August.
Meanwhile, a spinoff of the series starring Michelle Pfeiffer and possibly Kurt Russell is already in production, and a surprise Season 6 of “Yellowstone” with Reilly is also rumored to be coming.
