Yellowstone: Kevin Costner’s Departure Can be a Blessing for Taylor Sheridan if He Can Use 1 ‘Succession’ Plot for the Season Finale

The universe of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone has kept the fans engrossed in the arc of John Dutton and his clan for virtually a century. From 1923 to 2024, the legacy and time-honored traditions of the Dutton clan have fascinated the audience for years and now, the time has finally come to bid goodbye to the original series that started it all — from Taylor Sheridan’s rise to popularity to Kevin Costner’s return to fame.

Now, despite the war of creative differences that has split up the original duo, fans are reluctantly hopeful that the Oscar-winning actor will return for a handful of more episodes to give his arc a proper closure. Although the chances of that are slim, stranger things have happened recently in the world of entertainment business.

Kevin Costner Finds an Easy Out From His Yellowstone Arc

Kevin Costner has seldom been known to pull his punches when it comes to bad timing. Whether it be headlining Waterworld in 1995, Hollywood’s most expensive film that flopped (amounting to $350 million in 2024, if adjusted for inflation), or exiting the most successful and the biggest TV series in recent history for Horizon: An American Saga, a two-part epic Western that lacks audience enthusiasm, Costner has been at the center of it all.

However, given the finality of his decision not to return to Yellowstone 5B, interested third parties have taken it upon themselves to come up with an acceptable solution.

In a theory suggested by Screen Rant that appears increasingly convincing as Yellowstone draws closer to its series finale, Kevin Costner is given an out on the subject of his character arc that can be conveniently written off without a hitch.

As suggested by the entertainment website, the actor’s fate has been teased quite early on in the series and his co-stars need only refer to one scripted line to close off his arc for good. John Dutton’s cancer has played a big part in Season 1 and Season 2 premiere in the series. As a result, a relapse and sudden off-screen death can make his character’s passing an easy pill to swallow while honoring the role that Costner played in making Yellowstone what it is today.

In a fate similar to Succession’s Logan Roy, the impactful death of the Dutton family patriarch can throw the clan in utter disarray, making for an interesting sequel idea for Taylor Sheridan’s ever-evolving universe.

Hollywood’s Dark History of Off-Screen Character Deaths

Hollywood is filled with strange tales of returning characters and storylines with no end in sight. In the aftermath of Kevin Costner’s exit, one can look to major film productions affected by the main character’s untimely death or exit. Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight and Charlie Sheen-starring Two and a Half Men have all languished from the death or exit of its leading cast.

If Taylor Sheridan and Kevin Costner can put their differences aside and ensure to close off the series arc for good, then perhaps Yellowstone can overshadow Dwayne Johnson’s return in the Fast & Furious finale as the biggest comeback recorded in history. In other news, John Dutton’s exit also makes for an interesting play for Matthew McConaughey’s entry into the Yellowstone universe.

Yellowstone is available for streaming on Paramount+.