Taylor Sheridan may be pointing fingers at Kevin Costner for Yellowstone’s sudden sunset, but let’s be real, it’s not the full story. Sure, scheduling drama and behind-the-scenes tension didn’t help, but if 1923 Season 2 is any clue, Sheridan’s creative tank might be running on empty.

The sprawling spin-off looks great on paper, but it’s starting to feel more like aesthetic filler than frontier fire.

So blaming it all on Costner? A little too convenient. Maybe Yellowstone’s end wasn’t just about clashing egos, it might’ve been about a story that had already ridden off into the narrative sunset.

Kevin Costner’s exit killed Yellowstone but 1923 says otherwise

Kevin Costner as John Dutton in Yellowstone | Credits: Paramount Network

So Taylor Sheridan says Kevin Costner is why Yellowstone ended early. And sure, that’s the headline but after watching 1923 Season 2, I’m not totally buying it.

Bloomberg dropped the tea: Sheridan wanted three more seasons of Yellowstone, but the Costner drama cut it short. Allegedly, they butted heads over schedules and contracts.

Costner was already knee-deep in his own epic, Horizon, and eventually dipped out. No, John Dutton. No smooth exit. Just a weird off-screen death and a rushed final chapter.

Costner wasn’t quiet about it either. Back in 2023, he told Deadline, “I made a contract for seasons five, six, and seven,” but things got messy. Instead of sticking to the plan, the network rebranded it as 5A and 5B and maybe Season 6, if they could make it work. Spoiler: they didn’t.

Brandon Sklenar and Julia Schlaepfer in 1923 | Credits: Paramount Network

Now, here’s the twist. Yellowstone may have ended, but Sheridan’s empire is multiplying. We’ve got Dutton Ranch with Beth and Rip, a Kayce Dutton spinoff, The Madison with Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell, and 1944 as the next prequel chapter.

Still, I keep going back to 1923 Season 2. It’s sharp, cinematic, and deeply satisfying. Which makes me think, maybe Sheridan didn’t need more Yellowstone. Maybe he just needed a way out.

So yeah, Sheridan can blame Costner all he wants. But if the rest of the Dutton-verse keeps hitting like 1923, I’m honestly fine with the trade.

Cole Hauser swaps scripts for safaris while the Yellowstone dust settles

Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler in Yellowstone | Credits: Paramount Network

While Yellowstone’s final chapter was packed with off-screen drama, Cole Hauser’s next move is anything but chaotic. Unlike co-stars Kelly Reilly and Luke Grimes, Hauser hasn’t jumped into a new role.

Instead, he’s been globe-trotting from New Zealand to Botswana and soaking in life post-Yellowstone.

Hauser, who played Rip Wheeler, the tough-yet-tender heart of the ranch, hasn’t signed onto another project yet. But he’s not done with the Duttons. A planned Rip-and-Beth spin-off is reportedly in the works.

Hinting he’s not quite ready to hang up the cowboy hat, he told People (reported by HelloMagazine),
I think America has spoken. They still love the show. We will see what happens over the next year or so and we’ll see what’s next. Hopefully, we can continue to get into people’s living rooms and entertain them the way we have over the last seven years.
Meanwhile, Kevin Costner’s dramatic exit over Horizon filming clashes left a mark. But for Hauser, the vibe’s way more Zen. Travel now, ranch later.