Costner exited after the first half of Season 5 following a reported feud with creator and producer Taylor Sheridan.
Yellowstone almost didn’t end at five seasons, and fans could have seen a lot more of the Dutton family.
Kevin Costner is evidently the reason why the Western drama didn’t see beyond Season 5.
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The actor starred on Yellowstone as John Dutton III, exiting after the first half of Season 5. There was a lot of back and forth between rumors of him still wanting to see John’s departure through and making sure he got the right ending, and the possibility of him coming back, but ultimately deciding not to see it through to the end. But the end could have been seasons away.
Bloomberg reports that creator and producer Taylor Sheridan wanted Yellowstone to go at least three more seasons, but it had to end early because of what happened with Costner. Back in 2023, it was reported that Costner had stepped away from the series following a reported feud between him and Sheridan. Later reports revealed that the Horizon actor had wanted to return to finish out Season 5, but it never happened. As of now, it’s still not completely clear what exactly happened with Costner on the set of Yellowstone, but it was enough to keep him from coming back, and from there ever being anything more.
There were rumors that a Season 6 of Yellowstone was possible, but again, nothing ever came of it. At the very least, there are some spinoffs on the way that will continue the Dutton family story, and they won’t be prequels. Luke Grimes will be starring in Y: Marshals, centered on his character Kayce Dutton. It will premiere during midseason 2026 on CBS. Before that, though, Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly will be reprising their roles as Rip Wheeler and Beth Dutton for a new spinoff, Dutton Ranch, on Paramount Network, reportedly coming this fall.
Yellowstone may not have lasted beyond five seasons, but as long as the franchise continues with spinoffs, prequels, and sequels, the Dutton family will certainly live on. There doesn’t seem to be an end to the franchise, because there are more spinoffs on the way, but it is tough to think about what could have been with at least eight seasons of Yellowstone. Fans will never know, but that doesn’t mean they have to be away from the Duttons for very long.
