Last Rodeo for 'Yellowstone'

The hit TV series is set to conclude without main man Kevin Costner, but his onscreen son Luke Grimes is convinced viewers will be surprised and satisfied by the season finale

- BILLIE SCHWAB DUNN

YELLOWSTONE FANS WILL HAVE MIXED EMOTIONS about the highly anticipated series finale following the departure of lead actor Kevin Costner, but co-star Luke Grimes believes the show's creators have come up with the perfect ending.

The television hit, which has aired since 2018, is based around a working cattle ranch in Montana and follows the Dutton family's ongoing struggle to protect their land.

Season 5, Part 1 ran from November 2022 to January 2023. Amid reported creative disputes between co-creator Taylor Sheridan and Costner, followed by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, it was later announced that Part 2 (airing from November 10) would be Yellowstone's last outing.

As the final episodes draw nearer, Grimes—who plays Kayce Dutton, the youngest child of John Dutton (Costner) said fans won't be able to predict the ending. "I think true to Yellowstone's form, [viewers] won't be able to see it coming. 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," he told Newsweek. "But I think everyone will be really satisfied.... 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. Because I'm clearly not a writer and even if I was, it would not be as good as Taylor['s].

"I think it'll just be very satisfying because...that's what you want. And the ending of a great show is something unpredictable and satisfying." Part 1 saw John become governor of Montana, using his political power to protect the family's ranch from corporate and environmental threats.