Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Sequel Update Is The Wrong Way To Continue Without Kevin Costner

The most recent update from Taylor Sheridan, creator of Yellowstone and its expanding universe of spinoffs, regarding the direction of the original series’ sequel has left the fate of fan-favorite characters up in the air. While it has been confirmed that the new series will star Matthew McConaughey, there are very few other casting details available. Kevin Costner is not returning, and so naturally fans of Yellowstone have begun to wonder and worry about other characters from the original show.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sheridan gave a cryptic yet potentially telling response to a question specifically asked about the characters from the original Yellowstone series. Sheridan told the reporter, “My idea of a spinoff is the same as my idea of a prequel – read into that what you will.” Given that the prequels do not feature any members of the original show, Sheridan’s quote can be interpreted as an implication that none of the characters will carry over to the McConaughey-led sequel. If this is in fact true, it may be cause for concern for fans of the original show.

Yellowstone’s Spinoff Update Is A Big Concern For The Franchise

While Yellowstone in its current state can’t exist without the Dutton patriarch as its central character, many fans were excited about the prospect of a sequel show specifically so they could continue to follow the adventures of the rest of the Dutton family and their friends, allies, and enemies. The specifics of Matthew McConaughey’s role are still unknown, but the assumption is that his character will tie into the Dutton family somehow. He could even be a long-lost Dutton, taking up the battle for the Dutton ranch in John Dutton’s stead.

If there are no returning characters, it’s entirely possible that the sequel series falls flat with audiences who aren’t interested in exploring a new cast of characters. The original Yellowstone series is popular largely due to its ensemble cast, which has connected with audiences on a spectacular level. It would be extremely hard to catch lightning in a bottle twice like that, and abruptly abandoning the characters that audiences know and love could kill not only the sequel series but many of the planned spinoffs as well.

Yellowstone’s Post-Costner Show Needs Existing Characters

Even without Kevin Costner’s John Dutton in the mix, the Yellowstone

sequel series will still need some connecting fibers from the original show to make sense. Presumably, the show will still revolve around the Dutton ranch and the ongoing battle for the state of Montana – otherwise, it isn’t really a sequel series. If Matthew McConaughey’s character is going to exist in that world, then it would be extremely odd for all the major players from the last few years suddenly disappear.
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Jamie is the attorney general of the state, Thomas Rainwater is still (for now) the chairman of Broken Rock reservation, Beth Dutton is a major player in the Montana business landscape and Rip Wheeler still runs the largest ranch in the state of Montana. If McConaughey’s character to exists in that arena and doesn’t encounter any of them, it would be genuinely distracting and detract from the show. The sequel series will need to acknowledge their existence somehow if it is going to have any chance of narrative success.

Yellowstone Season 5 Can End John Dutton’s Story – But Not Everyone Else’s

The biggest concern with characters not carrying over to the Yellowstone sequel series is that there simply is not enough time left to satisfactorily wrap up the stories for all the major characters. It seems all but inevitable that season 5 will end with John Dutton’s death as Kevin Costner exits the show. With only half a season and a major plot line like that to tackle, there is no way to successfully end the rest of the characters’ arcs.

Jamie and Beth’s lifelong rivalry is finally coming to a head, Thomas Rainwater is dealing with a pipeline bearing down on his people’s land, and Kayce is about to embrace a new role as an investigator on the Broken Rock Reservation, finally stepping away from the Dutton ranch. All of these arcs could justifiably play out over their own Yellowstone seasons (or spin-offs), so to see them shuffled into an ending in half a season would not only be a disservice to the characters, it would be an insult to the audiences that have invested in their stories.