“Yellowstone” has built its version of rural Montana into quite an odyssey throughout its five seasons. As is the case with some of the best television shows, Taylor Sheridan’s neo-western has accomplished this by utilizing a compelling and complex cast of characters who ebb back and forth between the two-sided coin of heroism and villainy.
While the cast of morally gray characters continues to grow as the series marches onward, only a few of the denizens of “Yellowstone” can boast of having appeared in every episode of the series. Unsurprisingly, at the top of the heap are the central Dutton family members who are the main focus of the show: John (Kevin Costner), Kayce (Luke Grimes), Beth (Kelly Reilly), and Jamie (Wes Bentley).
Joining the quartet for all 53 episodes of “Yellowstone” thus far is ranch enforcer and adopted family member Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser). While these are among the first characters that fans would mention when asked who has had the most screen time, these numbers will likely change when Season 5, Part 2 finally arrives to conclude the show.
John Dutton will likely lose his perfect episode count
As many fans will know by now, Kevin Costner’s return for Season 5, Part 2 of “Yellowstone” is currently looking tenuous at best. After behind-the-scenes talks between the show’s top-billed star and Paramount fell apart, it is uncertain whether we’ll be seeing more John Dutton at all in the concluding episodes.
Furthermore, if the Dutton patriarch does return, he’s unlikely to survive for the remaining episodes of “Yellowstone.” Season 5 saw tensions rising exponentially between Jamie, John, and Beth, and it looks like things will likely come to a head when the show returns in late 2024.
Of course, we could also see other characters, like Rip or Kayce, caught in the crossfire as the different branches of the family find themselves increasingly at odds. With this in mind, who knows if any of the cast members will be able to continue their perfect streaks through to the end?
While we have even more questions as “Yellowstone” heads toward its inevitable end, the endgame of the series looks more exciting than ever as a result. Though we all have our camps as far as the characters we support on the series, there will likely be more bodies on the floor than ever before when the smoke clears from this Montana wildfire.
