So…was the plan always to do the final arc of this Yellowstone story without Costner’s John? It seems like it, and I get why. I love the idea of writing off John Dutton and forcing his kids – Beth, Jamie and Kayce – to figure out who will get the ranch.

No harm, no foul, eh? It's no secret that the final season of Yellowstone will be getting underway next month, and between the 2-year hiatus and the departure of lead actor Kevin Costner, fans are less than enthused.

"It was always going to happen, it just happened a little bit differently." 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.

From upping the ante on Jamie and Beth’s feud to amplifying Rip’s role on the ranch to forcing Kayce to reckon with his internal battle of picking his family or the ranch, writing John off makes a lot of sense when it comes to intensifying his kids' stories.