The One Way Yellowstone Should End Without Killing Off Kevin Costner’s John Dutton

With Yellowstone re-airing its first season on CBS amidst a plethora of strike-related primetime TV options, the hugely popular western drama continues to somehow gain millions of new viewers who hadn’t already tuned in on Paramount Network or streamed with a Peacock subscription. With all this renewed attention on Kevin Costner’s John Dutton and the rest of the Montana-set clan, it just makes the wait for the rest of Season 5’s episodes all the more frustrating, knowing there isn’t much of a resolution in sight just yet. But going by what we already know, combined with a bit of rumor-mill fodder, I think I’ve come up with the perfect way for Yellowstone to officially close out and set up the direct follow-up series without fans having to actually see Costner’s beloved character die.

John Dutton Likely Needs To Die For The Franchise To Continue Without Kevin Costner

In a perfect world, Yellowstone wouldn’t even be at the center of a speculative conversation like this, and wouldn’t have sparked reports of behind-the-scenes chaos between Kevin Costner and co-creator Taylor Sheridan. But while the goals may have initially been to keep the Dutton family around and mostly intact for another few years beyond Season 5, the Oscar-winning actor’s schedule issues and outside projects such as his Horizon films have made it so that he’s lost interest in keeping the TV saga going year in and year out. Which is why Paramount Network immediately gave the greenlight to a new continuation series that’s set to pick up right where Yellowstone‘s narrative ends up, with Matthew McConaughey still starring in that project until otherwise reported.

Though it wouldn’t be illogical or impossible for the flagship series to pass the baton to its spinoff with John Dutton still walking and talking among the living, that plan lacks a certain sense of practicality. For all that the characters portrayed by co-stars Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, and Luke Grimes are vital to all the mayhem surrounding the family’s ranch, this entire narrative is unmistakably tethered to the family patriarch, and the same went for the prequel 1883 and its between-seasons follow-up 1923. And I cannot see another show rising up in its stead and taking over the story without John being completely removed from existence.

Only only has to look at a show like NCIS to understand how things could skew negatively if Kevin Costner’s character is written off the show in a non-fatal way. Mark Harmon exited the CBS hit a few years back, with his character Leroy Gibbs moving to Alaska, and since then, many fans have taken every possible moment to voice their wishes for Harmon to return on social media and beyond, with the show’s cast and creatives often getting asked about their former co-star. That would absolutely happen if Costner bowed out in a way that left the door open for an easy return.

Kevin Costner Reportedly Wanted A Say On How John’s Story Ended

During Yellowstone’s most hectic BTS period earlier in the year, some of the reports floating around claimed Kevin Costner attempted to make demands about how the process would go regarding the final episodes that haven’t yet filmed. It was said that he wanted more money, shorter hours, and the right to have final say on Sheridan’s scripts. The filmmaker is known for his prolific writing, as he handles scripting for most of his film and TV creations by his lonesome, so it was never very likely that he would allow anyone else below his job title to call the shots like that.

Other reports were more specific in claiming Costner wanted final say mostly over how John Dutton’s story will conclude. That also seems like a stretch, but considering how many stars like The Rock and Vin Diesel set up contractual obligations for their fictional characters to always win on-screen fights and never get killed off, I can almost believe that Sheridan would at least hear out the Dancing with Wolves

If I had to guess, I’d think that Costner is largely concerned with not having John go out in a way that lacks any sense of character pride. He probably doesn’t want any low-ranking antagonists to take him out, especially not after the coordinated attacks in Season 3’s finale that left him in the hospital. And he likely doesn’t want John to die at the hands of Wes Bentley’s Jamie or anyone else involved with the ranch that doesn’t deserve it. So that leaves us with presumably no one who counts as being good enough to take down the biggest threat in Paradise Valley, except for maybe John himself.

How Yellowstone Should End John’s Story Without Killing Him Off On-Screen

To circle things back around to the early years, John made it to Season 2 as a colon cancer survivor, having had surgery to remove the applicable mass, and it’s something he’s never been quite comfortable talking about. So as depressing as it would be all-around, I think it might make the most sense for Yellowstone to bring John’s cancer back during the final episodes, which would signify that true closure will need to happen between him and others, and in a way that allows ample enough time for such closer to take place before the final credits roll. And what’s more, bringing all those complicated feelings out while he’s still alive would justify wrapping things up without viewers having to watch the character taking his last breath.

So I think the smartest way to go would be to end things on the dour note that John Dutton has a limited timespan left, with the character’s actual death happening at a time beyond that point. Then, the next move would be to set up Matthew McConaughey’s follow-up drama so that its narrative timeline picks up right after John’s canonical death, which would allow viewers to grieve with the surviving characters without watching the demise play out in full.

Sure, it’s weird for “jumping into the heart of the mourning” to be the best-case scenario there, but I think it sounds better than any version of a scene where John ends his tenure on this mortal coil. And I also think that might be a way to provide closure all-around in a way that wouldn’t require someone to ask Costner to get made up to look like a gunshot victim or a cancer-ridden corpse.

Of course, that theory may not be proven right or wrong for quite a while yet, without any sign of when Yellowstone will be returning to production, much less when the episodes will actually be finished and ready to air. In the meantime, be sure to keep rewatching Season 1’s rollout on CBS every Sunday night after 60 Minutes. And head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what will indeed be cropping up on the small screen before the Duttons return.