- Yellowstone finally returned to our screens after near two-year break
- Fans have reacted with disappointment to the exit of a much-loved character
- There are rumors that there could be another season of the show
Yellowstone finally returned to screens on Sunday after a near two-year break – but fans are not happy with how a much-loved character exited the show.
Shock exit
Warning: The rest of this article contains spoilers for episode one of season five, part 2
Season five, part one of Yellowstone may seem like a distant memory now – it aired in early 2023 – and now the show has finally returned with a shock exit.
The episode opens with John Dutton – played by Kevin Costner – being found dead in his bathroom from a gunshot wound. John’s son, Jamie, then announces in a press conference it was a suicide.
It was known that Kevin Costner wasn’t returning to the modern Western show, due to a scheduling conflict with his passion project, the four-part Horizon: An American Saga. There have also been rumors about Costner and Yellowstone creator Tyler Sheridan falling out. But how John’s exit would be handled had remained a closely guarded secret.
So when the episode dropped, and John’s death was revealed, fans reacted with shock and dismay on social media.
“John Dutton was a fantastic character, and despite the Kevin Costner drama, he deserved a better goodbye than Yellowstone gave him,” posted one user on X (which everyone still calls Twitter).
Another said: “Yellowstone without John Dutton is like #tedlasso without Ted…”
But others have praised the performance of Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton, John’s daughter. “[Her] performance deserves fans seeing the season through,” said one user.
New episodes of Yellowstone are on every Sunday night until December 15.
Yellowstone season 6?
There is also speculation about whether this will be the final time we see Yellowstone on our screens. When Paramount Network announced season five, it was billed as the final season of the show. However, with the departure of Costner, and the resulting shift in focus of the show, it opens up the possibility that another season could be made, and there have been rumors of talks to that end, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
