When it comes to the final episodes of Yellowstone’s fifth season, anticipation is running high as we wait to see how the show will continue without Kevin Costner’s John Dutton. Rumors about his departure swirled around the show for well over a year, and now questions are coming up about where the story will go without him. However, Kelly Reilly’s latest comments have revealed that this massive change in the cast really won’t impact the show's original plan much.
In the lead-up to Yellowstone’s long-awaited premiere on the 2024 TV schedule, Beth actress Kelly Reilly has been teasing what’s coming for the Dutton family in the final half of Season 5. From sharing news that she’s filming scenes in Texas to commenting on those Season 6 reports and the prospect of Beth and Rip leading the show moving forward, she’s supplied some very insightful information. However, her latest quote from an interview with EW should provide a lot of ease to fans who are worried about Costner not being in the new season, as she said:
The absence was part of the ending. That's not something that we had to pivot, that was already written into the tapestry of the story. It was always going to happen, it just happened a little bit differently.
So…was the plan always to do the final arc of this Yellowstone story without Costner’s John? It seems like it, and I get why. I love the idea of writing off John Dutton and forcing his kids – Beth, Jamie and Kayce – to figure out who will get the ranch. By doing this, it would up the ante for every character, and it would force all John’s kids into a position where they had to act.
You can stream Yellowstone with a Peacock subscription, and to catch Taylor Sheridan’s spinoffs – 1883 and 1923 – all you need is a Paramount+ subscription.
That’s a lovely dramatic spot to be in for a show’s final arc, so I get why not having John around for these episodes was always in the plan. However, it seems like even though a lot didn’t change, they did have to do things slightly differently, as Reilly said.
Maybe, if Costner stayed with the show, he would have popped up in flashbacks or maybe the way he left the series would have been shown. However, they can’t do that now.
But have no fear! Reilly’s comments give me a lot of confidence that we’re going to get the well-thought-out drama we’ve come to expect from Yellowstone, and I’m thrilled that Costner’s absence shouldn’t impact the original plan for the show much. What makes it even better is that even the John Dutton actor said the show will move forward just fine without him, especially if it focuses on the kids.
So, overall, breathe easy my fellow Yellowstone fans, because Season 5B will be executed (pretty much) according to plan, which is thrilling! The ending we’re about to get is the one Taylor Sheridan has always had in mind, and you better believe that we’re going to be in for a wild ride.
To see how this story comes to a close without John Dutton (which was apparently always in the cards for this show), you can catch the final episodes of Yellowstone’s fifth season when they start airing on the Paramount Network on November 10.