Yellowstone’s Finale Leaves No Doubt: Kevin Costner Was the Whole Show

Yellowstone bowed out on December 15, 2024, and the finale made one thing painfully obvious: Kevin Costner wasn't just the lead, he was the show's pulse. When he left mid-season 5, the series had to rewire itself on the fly, and the ending reflects that.

Costner's exit reset the endgame

Multiple reports chalk Costner's departure up to creative friction with creator Taylor Sheridan. The show's solution was blunt but logical: season 5, part 2 opens by revealing John Dutton III was murdered. We don't see the killing on-screen; we walk into the aftermath. From there, the story shifts to the fallout around the man everything else revolved around.

Yes, Yellowstone is an ensemble. Beth, Kayce, and Jamie have all carried compelling arcs. But the emotional spine and the ranch's conflicts always hinged on John. Removing him didn't just change the plot; it changed what the show was about.

The finale we actually got

The funeral takes up a big chunk of the last episode for a reason. With Costner gone for good, Sheridan gave John a definitive exit and let that loss drive the closing stretch. Because part 2 was short on episodes, the show couldn't dig into the circumstances of John's death in the kind of detail it usually would. Instead, it leaned into grief and legacy, which is why those funeral scenes hit as hard as they do. The message was pretty clear: Yellowstone's heart beat in John Dutton III.

If Costner had stayed

Before the exit, John had leveled up to governor of Montana. That move opened up an entirely new arena for the show that we only got a taste of. If Costner had remained through the back half of season 5 — and probably a season 6 — the series could have gone deeper on the political knife fight without losing the family drama in the process:

• John navigating statewide politics while protecting the ranch, dealing with rivals, critics, and public scrutiny.
• More combustible, complicated clashes with Jamie — now attorney general — framed by both their jobs and their toxic father-son dynamic.
• Fresh tension with Beth, Yellowstone's fiercest loyalist, especially when her scorched-earth instincts collide with gubernatorial realities.
• Land wars, regulatory battles, and old vendettas playing out through the governor's office, not just the bunkhouse.
• All of it deepening John's character rather than redefining the show around someone else.

The finale we got works emotionally, but it mostly hints at that bigger, richer version.

Where the franchise goes now

Paramount+ has already set the next phase: a spinoff led by Beth and Rip. They're off the original ranch — it's been sold — and have relocated to a farm in Dillon, Montana, with their foster son, Carter. Costner isn't coming back, but the new series is clearly designed to carry John's ethos forward.

Beth, who has never been shy about being her dad's daughter, will keep fighting for his name and principles. Rip, not a Dutton by blood but loyal to the bone, is the living embodiment of John's code. Family first. Protect the land. Hold the line. That's the handoff: not an end, but a continuation of the values that defined Yellowstone in the first place.

Bottom line

Costner's exit was a seismic shift, and the finale basically admits the series can't run the same without him at the center. Sheridan steered a tricky situation about as cleanly as he could, but you can feel the vacuum John leaves behind. Can the Beth-and-Rip spinoff carry the legacy without the man himself, or does Yellowstone lose too much when John's not in the room?

Tell me what you think in the comments — predictions welcome.

Yellowstone is streaming on Paramount+.