Hollywood legend Sam Elliott once trashed the Yellowstone franchise, saying, “It’s just too much like f***ing ‘Dallas’ or something, for me. […] Too much of that for me.” While Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western is a fairly unvarnished look at the trials faced by the Dutton family in their attempts to preserve their land, there is an undeniably soapy aspect to the series. This has meant that, throughout its five season run, “Yellowstone” has shocked viewers with unlikely and grandiose plot developments, especially when it comes to killing off beloved characters.
“Yellowstone” began with a surprising death, when family Patriarch John Dutton’s son, Lee Dutton (Dave Annable), met his fate at the end of the pilot episode. We also saw the great Emmett Walsh (Buck Taylor) meet a tragic end, and series mainstay Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton, has feared for her character’s life throughout the series’ run. This all happens, of course, against a backdrop of family in-fighting, backstabbing, and often full-on physical brawls, making Elliott’s assessment of the series at least understandable, even if you don’t fully agree that “Yellowstone” is a modern “Dallas.”
Now, the hugely popular series is drawing to a close. The long-awaited second half of season 5 is finally set to debut on November 10, 2024, and considering Sheridan has previously spoken about the fact that he always envisioned “Yellowstone” lasting just five seasons, and star Kevin Costner has left the series, it’s a safe bet that the show will indeed wrap up with season 5B. While we wait to see whether Paramount greenlights a continuation series with Reilly and Cole Hauser stepping into the leading roles, “Yellowstone” fans are eager to see how their beloved show ties up what is sure to be the most tumultuous run of episodes in series history, regardless of whether this is, in fact, the actual swan song. According to Luke Grimes, who plays John’s son Kayce Dutton, those fans will be surprised by what they see, which in and of itself isn’t really all that surprising given the show’s nature.
Luke Grimes promises a surprising but satisfying end to Yellowstone
The fact is that nobody, not even the cast of the show, know how “Yellowtsone” is going to end, with Paramount going to extreme lengths to prevent plot leaks ahead of season 5B’s debut. But while we don’t know exactly what will transpire, you can bet Taylor Sheridan has some surprises in store. The show creator and writer has always provided fans with shocking developments and plot twists, and it seems these final episodes will take that approach to new heights.
Luke Grimes was asked by Newsweek about the finale and teased that “true to ‘Yellowstone’ form, [viewers] won’t be able to see it coming.” He continued:
“I feel like that’s the kind of beauty of Taylor’s writing and it’s always so surprising. It’s never what you thought it was going to be. But I think everyone will be really satisfied with, you know, if I would have tried to come up with an ending, I never would have come up with this one, but it’s the perfect one.”
Whatever Sheridan has in store, then, it seems it won’t be easy to predict. But then, that’s already the case, given the fact that Kevin Costner was not involved in season 5B and many fans expect Sheridan to kill off his leading man in these upcoming episodes. How will he do that without the man himself onboard? It’s a mystery — much like the rest of season 5B. But, according to Grimes, that doesn’t mean fans will be let down. The actor went on to add that the second half of season five will be “very satisfying,” adding, “That’s what you want. And the ending of a great show is something unpredictable and satisfying.”
Does that mean that season 5B is confirmed as being the finale of “Yellowstone” as a series? It seems likely that Sheridan wrote it that way while Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser continue talks to star in a potential sixth season of “Yellowstone.” Whether that new season goes ahead, Sheridan will want to ensure he wraps up his show in a fitting way just in case this does turn out to be the series finale, so expect a lot of big surprises — the kind that would make Sam Elliott very upset.