Why is ‘Yellowstone’ ending?

The time has come for this generation of the Dutton family, led by John Dutton, to pass the mantle to the next, with Yellowstone coming to a close later this year after five seasons.

According to the official press release, showrunner Taylor Sheridan is already looking towards the next chapter in the Yellowstone saga, developing a sequel series that’s set after the fifth season and features the return of a number of familiar characters.

That, of course, begs the question of why the show is ending in the first place. If the sequel is just going to pick up the narrative where season five leaves it off, why not continue it as Yellowstone? Even if there’s going to be a major time jump, the show could explain it via a title card, so something else is compelling the team at Paramount to bring the main series to a somewhat premature conclusion.

Why is Yellowstone concluding now?

The most straightforward answer is that we’re not exactly sure why. Yellowstone has achieved such an overwhelming state of recognition and acclaim in five years that few other television shows could even dream of in the entirety of their run. The show was also building towards a climax of sorts, with Market Equities tightening its chokehold on the Dutton land and Casey learning about his family’s ultimate fate in a vision.

Why, then, did Paramount suddenly decide to wrap up the narrative mid-stride? Well, it might have to do with the alleged ongoing drama between the network and John Dutton actor Kevin Costner. 

A while ago, numerous reports and rumors hinted that the actor was at odds with the team over scheduling complications. Costner was said to be working on a Western drama of his own, so he couldn’t commit to the demanding filming blocks of Yellowstone season 5.

Add that to all the hearsay involving the actor’s divorce from his wife, and rumors of an on-set affair that has resulted in a pregnancy, and you’ll realize why Paramount and Taylor Sheridan would have been more than keen to part ways now.

And let’s face it; you can’t simply kill off John Dutton or write him out, and then continue Yellowstone like nothing’s happened. If this franchise has any chance of thriving beyond the face of its main star, it needs a fresh start, so that could explain why Sheridan has decided to conclude the main series with the next batch of episodes from season 5 and then start again with a sequel series.

At least, that’s as far as they’re going to let us surmise in this period of time.