Yellowstone is widely recognized as one of those iconic television sagas that were downright enjoyable from the start and constantly held elements that would have viewers captivated to the core.
But while it had Kevin Costner leading most of it, that didn’t stay when the Western neared its end, pretty much falling apart with the actor’s exit.
While originally, the reported cause behind the same was Taylor Sheridan’s reported feud with Costner at the end, it turns out the issue may have been deeper. This is because the pair clashed when it came to one particular plotline involving Costner’s John Dutton III, which the showrunner changed against the actor’s will while Costner was right with his opinion.
Taylor Sheridan changed this Yellowstone plot against Kevin Costner’s choice
One of the biggest reasons why Yellowstone became as famous as it did was because of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton, who was nothing short of outstanding. But that very character was the one that ostensibly had him clashing with show creator cum runner Taylor Sheridan on the sets of the show, as reports of conflicts between them surfaced.
Apparently, one particular instance where this happened was with the plotline that brought about Tate’s kidnapping and the Duttons taking the fight to the Beck brothers. To jog your memory up a bit, it had the Beck brothers moving against the Duttons in an attempt to prevent Gil Birmingham’s Rainwater’s casino, which led to John being forced to take the fight to them.
This turn of events inevitably had John and Kayce (Luke Grimes) torturing and killing their enemies, all the while facing white supremacists to rescue Tate as quickly as they could. However, as this happened, it brought about a significant change to John’s character as it shed light on the fact that the Duttons were slowly losing their sense of control and influence over Montana.
Turns out, Sheridan and Costner both had differing opinions when it came to John’s true nature, as was especially seen in its most fierce forms in this plotline. While the showrunner felt that John was a character who was willing to go to any and every length to protect his family, the actor looked at his character as an old man losing his grip on the times.
So when this plotline came about in the second season of the masterpiece, it inevitably focused on John’s dark side, as opposed to Costner’s wishes of encapturing his slipping economic and familial control. And while Sheridan was right with this decision till the story made sense, it was only after the ending that I realized that Costner’s opinion was better.
For one, my reason for saying so is because, when the show started, it focused on the ranch and the Dutton family as it protected it and fought for it. And when Sheridan decided to make John such a brutal killer, it did serve as an entertaining plot twist but also had the lore deviating from the original essence that they ostensibly had in mind in the beginning.
Even Taylor Sheridan confessed that Kevin Costner’s take worked out in the end
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Taylor Sheridan came clean that Kevin Costner was ‘very upset’ at this particular point in season 2 and candidly admitted to him that he felt like his character “wasn’t going in the direction he wanted.” But instead of understanding his point at first, mastermind Sheridan tried to reason with him.
I said, ‘Kevin, you do remember that I told you this is essentially The Godfather on the largest ranch in Montana? Are you that surprised that the Godfather is killing people?’ What he’s clung to is [Dutton’s] commitments to his family and way of life.
But Costner, of course, was looking at it all differently. Per him, “Dutton’s big failing is not evolving with the times — not finding different revenue streams [for the ranch].” That said, he ostensibly also felt that the second season was “deviating from that, and I don’t know that he was wrong,” as Sheridan proceeded to reveal and admit.
However, when it came down to the third season, things started falling back in place, and even the showrunner admitted the actor’s point was valid. As Sheridan continued, “In season three, we steered back into it. And I recall him winning a Golden Globe last year for his performance, so I think it’s working.” Needless to say, this justifies my opinion that Kevin Costner was, in fact, as right as ever, and perhaps, losing him was a mistake that led to the eventual downfall of the fan-favorite Western.
Yellowstone can currently be streamed on Peacock.
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