Yellowstone has exploded in popularity from its humble beginnings just four years ago. The finale of the most recent season of Yellowstone attracted over 15 million viewers, more than double that of the previous season. The series has since spawned a prequel series, 1883, with several more spinoffs in development, but how long can the main series continue? We don’t have an answer to that, but Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan knows exactly how it will end when the time comes.
Luke Grimes, who plays Kayce Dutton, recently spoke with THR and revealed that Taylor Sheridan has known how Yellowstone will end since the very beginning.
So Taylor and I have this understanding that he knows how this thing ends for everyone. He knows how it ends for Kayce, and he’s known since he wrote the beginning. He actually said that he knew the end first. I’ve actually really gotten into the idea of never knowing how this ends until I get to read that last script. It’d be a great payoff as an actor to go through the journey. But Taylor and I sat down and he told me just enough about what those two paths looked like and just enough about that statement. It wasn’t enough that I know what’s going to happen or where he goes from here, but it was enough that I could say that line and have an idea of what I was talking about.
Yellowstone follows “the Dutton family, led by John Dutton (Kevin Costner), who controls the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. The ranch is under constant attack by those it borders—land developers, an Indian reservation, and United States of America’s first National Park.” Production on the fifth season of Yellowstone is gearing up, and considering just how popular the series has begun, it’s hard to imagine it coming to an end. Although the pressure to keep it going will no doubt be great, Luke Grimes said that Taylor Sheridan will never let Yellowstone go past its due date. “We’re never going to jump the shark,” Grimes said. “So I’m sure he could figure out a way to make it a little longer and keep its quality as good as he wants it to be. But I don’t know. I wouldn’t want it to go past its due date either. I mean, it’s fun to do. I love the cast and crew, but once any great show outlives its material, it’s no fun for anybody.“