There Might Be A Simple Reason Why Kevin Costner Is Leaving Yellowstone
Kevin Costner has been a staple in Yellowstone for five seasons, but it seems like he is ready to move on from the show.
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The Yellowstone universe is pretty vast, with several spin-off series being birthed from it, and a few more in the works for future release dates. Paramount and Taylor Sheridan hit gold with this series, with online reviews from both viewers and critics highly praising the show, its actors, and the writing.
The Yellowstone universe has some elite Hollywood names tied to it as well including the likes of Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Sam Elliot, and Kevin Costner. Costner plays John Dutton, the main patriarch of Yellowstone. While reactions to his character are polarizing, he is easily a huge factor in why people tune in to the show.
Now that he is confirmed to be leaving, and the future of Yellowstone is seemingly up in the air, rumors have started circulating about the reason why Kevin Costner is leaving. However, Costner’s reason for leaving may be less dramatic than most people have assumed it is and is more of an unfortunate scheduling circumstance.
Kevin Costner Is A Huge Fan Favorite
Yellowstone initially premiered in 2018 to a low critic score on Rotten Tomatoes for its first season. Some of the biggest criticisms of the show’s first season included how unlikable some of the characters are, that it reminded viewers too much of a soap opera, and that it was just plain boring and uninteresting to watch.
The audience score was much higher, sitting at an 83%, which seemed to foreshadow what was to come for the Paramount show. Ratings and reviews improved vastly for Yellowstone’s second season, with many praising Taylor Sheridan’s vision, even going so far as to call it the best show on television.
Seasons three through four continue to hold high ratings, up to a 100% critic score and an 87% audience score. Viewers were quick to praise all the actors for their portrayals of their respective characters, and Kevin Costner as John Dutton was no different. Whether they like or hate the character, fans mostly agree that Costner is killing it as the Dutton family patriarch.
It’s understandable that fans are reasonably upset at the idea of Kevin Costner leaving the show, let alone the rumors of him being replaced by Matthew McConaughey, because he is seen as such an integral part of the show as the family patriarchal figurehead.
Creator Taylor Sheridan Is Not Thrilled About His Departure
While Matthew McConaughey is confirmed to be joining the Yellowstone universe in another one of its spin-offs, and Paramount is adamantly excited about the opportunity of working with the True Detective actor, they are still experiencing some growing pains because of Kevin Costner’s seemingly untimely departure from the show.
Taylor Sheridan in particular does not agree with Kevin Costner’s choice to leave Yellowstone, but apparently, he has no control over the situation. Sheridan admits that they worked with Costner as best as they could to accommodate his exit from the show while still closing off his storyline appropriately.
He also clarifies that he doesn’t control the schedule or when things start filming, so there is not a lot he can do to try and change the situation at hand, but they are in talks with Costner to see how they can get him to return and wrap up the show.