Kevin Costner will not be playing John Dutton in the final episodes of Yellowstone’s fifth season, and that’s old news. However, questions still remain about how the show will continue without him. Now, with the series' November 10 premiere date approaching, the anticipation to see how Taylor Sheridan’s Western moves forward is growing, and the man behind the Dutton patriarch is opening up about how the series can move on without him.
Obviously, we won’t have any solid answers about how Kevin Costner’s John Dutton will be written out of the show until Season 5B premieres on the 2024 TV schedule in November. However, we do know that without him, the Yellowstone cast will be led by John’s kids -- Kelly Reilly’s Beth, Luke Grimes’ Kayce and Wes Bentley’s Jamie as well as Cole Hauser’s loyal ranchand and Beth’s husband Rip. While they’ve always been paramount to the story, it seems they’re taking center stage now, and Costner admitted that that’s the logical direction to take the story as he told ET:
Obviously, it can go on, you know, I have children. So, you make the story about them.
I think Costner is saying what we’re all thinking. Between the success of other Yellowstone shows and the impact killing off a main character can have on the show, there’s potential for this season to pack a massive punch.
You can stream Yellowstone with a Peacock subscription, and to watch its spinoffs, 1883 and 1923, all you need is a Paramount+ subscription.
Now, let’s break down why this show can be excellent if it focuses on the kids. Think back to shows like Succession and Game of Thrones, both killed off their patriarchs, and the chaos that followed made for excellent storylines. Due to series like those, I’ve been a proponent of writing off John since before Costner’s departure was official. John's potentially unexpected death would send the ranch into a new spiral and up the drama exponentially as the kids figure out who is going to take it over.
From upping the ante on Jamie and Beth’s feud to amplifying Rip’s role on the ranch to forcing Kayce to reckon with his internal battle of picking his family or the ranch, writing John off makes a lot of sense when it comes to intensifying his kids' stories.
On top of all that, Taylor Sheridan’s other Yellowstone series, 1923 and 1883, have proven that there’s a big appetite for stories about the Dutton family, not necessarily just John Dutton. Plus, with four and a half seasons under its belt, fans have fallen in love with John’s kids, the bunkhouse boys and the entire supporting cast of this modern Western. So, yeah, I think it’ll move along just fine without him.
However, the door might not be entirely closed. Along with reports that Yellowstone Season 6 might be happening, Kelly Reilly saying talks were happening and Cole Hauser saying he’s down to play Rip more, Costner shared his take on his own future with Sheridan’s flagship show:
Who knows, some things have a way of circling back. You know, I haven't seen that dust trail coming toward me. But I've always been open to it when I started. Five seasons was a lot for us to do. And I think that story is not finished.
Now, these comments came right before him saying the show can go forward with just his on-screen children. So, it’s unclear if he’ll ever be back as John Dutton. Basically, while the door is technically open, it feels more like it’s barely cracked instead of proudly standing ajar. So, I’m not getting my hopes up about Kevin Costner coming back.
However, I am getting hopes up about the final episodes of Season 5! I can’t wait to see the series shift its focus to John’s kids, and I’m desperate to find out the fate of this ranch that has been in the Dutton family for well over 100 years.
Luckily, we won’t have to wait much longer to witness this long-awaited story, because Season 5B of Yellowstone premieres on the Paramount Network on November 10.