Kelly Reilly says John's absence was 'always' part of Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone ending

Although certain aspects of Yellowstone's ending are being kept top secret, there is one part of the show's final episodes that is public knowledge: Kevin Costner will not reprise the role of family patriarch John Dutton.

What exactly happens to John is one of the things being kept under lock and key — along with whatever happens next between Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie (Wes Bentley) — but according to star Kelly Reilly, John's absence didn't change anything about the ending that series creator Taylor Sheridan had been working toward from day one. "The absence was part of the ending," Reilly tells Entertainment Weekly. "That's not something that we had to pivot, that was already written into the tapestry of the story. It was always going to happen, it just happened a little bit differently."

Reilly has known Sheridan's ending since he first shared it with her during season 1 of the hit show. And as she previously told EW, the creator's plan originally included five seasons before the show became such a huge success. “It was always going to be five seasons in [Sheridan’s] head, but because the show became so successful, the network and everyone wanted more,” Reilly said. “So, in a way, fate took it and we ended this part of Yellowstone in a way that he always envisioned it to end.”

Of course, when the first half of season 5 aired in early 2023, fans didn't expect that they were watching the start of the final season. No one did. But then there were reported delays around Costner's schedule and a supposed lack of scripts, not to mention the 2023 SAG and WGA strikes. Now, when Yellowstone returns on Nov. 10, it will air its final episodes without Costner. And as Luke Grimes, who plays Kayce Dutton, previously told EW, fans should prepare for a "very, very profound, beautiful ending" to the story they've come to love.

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And don't worry, if you want more of the Yellowstone universe, there's already a new present-day spinoff, titled The Madison, in the works with Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Fox, and Patrick J. Adams, as well as another prequel series titled 1944 and a second season to 1923. Plus, there are talks surrounding a next chapter for some of the characters in the flagship series.

But whether there's a next chapter, which Reilly previously told EW she'd be open to, she says of leaving Yellowstone: "We got to end it in a way that [Taylor] always envisioned it to end. It's a real gift."

Fans will find out what that ending entails when Yellowstone premieres its final season on Sunday, Nov. 10, on Paramount Network (and on CBS).