‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 Scores Major Viewership Record Despite Kevin Costner’s Absence

Yellowstone Season 5 continues to draw mammoth audiences since it’s long-awaited return. A season-high 12.1 million viewers (per Deadline), up from the “season to date” 11.4 million, tuned in for the 12th episode of Taylor Sheridan and John Linson’s neo-Western, “Counting Coup,” which aired on Sunday, December 1. However, the next-to-last installment of the beloved neo-Western, “Give the World Away,” from last Sunday (Dec. 8), left fans reeling when a sneak peek of the “series finale” touted a “season finale” instead.

Season 5B’s six episodes were reportedly going to mark the end of Yellowstone, following the controversial departure of star Kevin Costner from creators Sheridan and Linson’s must-see drama. However, after Kayce (Luke Grimes) revealed his clever “tax” plan to save the Dutton Ranch, which earned the fan-favorite brother a heartwarming kiss from sister Beth (Kelly Reilly), viewers were stunned when a “season finale” was teased by footage, rather than the conclusion of the series.

At this time, there isn’t any official news to suggest that Yellowstone will continue, but the powers-that-be would never accidentally tease a “season finale” like that. So, the question becomes: If Yellowstone Season 6 is going to happen, how will Season 5B wrap up? Will Jamie (Wes Bentley) finally have to face the music, not to mention the wrath of Kayce and Beth, or do fans have to continue and play the waiting game for the rogue Dutton brother to get what he so deserves?

‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 Continues to Score Despite Kevin Costner’s Absence

When part two of Yellowstone Season 5 finally dropped back on Sunday, Nov. 10, fans faithfully tuned in despite the noticeable absence of the Dutton family patriarch, who was portrayed by Kevin Costner. In fact, 16.4 million viewers returned to Montana as the death of John Dutton was revealed straightaway. But even Costner himself didn’t know the fate of his character ahead of the episode being aired. Costner said in an interview on The Michael Smerconish Program:

“I didn’t know it was actually airing last night. That’s a swear to God moment. I swear to God. I mean, I’ve been seeing ads with my face all over the place, and I’m thinking, ‘Gee, I’m not in that one.’ I’m not in this season. But I’ve been seeing… but I didn’t realize yesterday was the thing […]

So no, I found out about it this morning, actually […] I heard it’s a suicide. So, that doesn’t make me want to rush to go see it [laughter]. Well, they’re pretty smart people. Maybe it’s a red herring. Who knows? They’re very good. And they’ll figure that out.”

Luke Grimes, who portrays the revered Dutton brother, Kayce, has played an even more integral role in Yellowstone during Season 5. And despite Beth (Reilly) insisting that she’ll be the one to take care of Jamie, Kayce has shown off his own badassery by personally dealing with those responsible for setting up his father’s faked suicide. However, Grimes admits there’s a different dynamic without Costner in the fray. Grimes said in an interview with PEOPLE:

“[Costner] not coming back felt like, ‘Okay, we’re going to have to land this plane now for real.’ I think the patriarch leaving was always going to be part of the story. That’s always where it was headed is like, what do these kids do? What does this family do when their rock is gone? […] “He’s a big presence, man, guy’s an icon. So not having him around to set felt a little different.”

The “season finale” of Yellowstone, which was surprisingly announced during the last episode of the neo-Western drama, airs Sunday, December 15, on the Paramount Network at 8 p.m. EST/PST. Perhaps, afterward, fans will at least have some semblance of hope and knowledge about whether the show will continue, or if a Yellowstone spin-off will follow it up instead. The showrunners need to be careful how they play Sunday’s finale because fans might end up wanting to take them to the fabled train station if a happy ending isn’t presented to series enthusiasts.

Yellowstone stars Kevin Costner and centers on his character John Dutton. Dutton and his family live on a cattle ranch just a few hours away from Yellowstone National Park. The series chronicles the family’s struggle to defend their home from an Indian reservation and land developers. As if their life wasn’t complicated enough, the Duttons also have medical issues, political aspirations, and family secrets stacked against them.

Release Date

June 20, 2018

Cast

Kevin Costner
, Finn Little
, Brecken Merrill
, Gil Birmingham
, Denim Richards
, Ian Bohen
, Danny Huston
, Kelly Reilly
, Forrie J. Smith
, Cole Hauser
, Kelsey Asbille
, Wes Bentley
, Jefferson White
, Luke Grimes
, Ryan Bingham

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