Kevin Costner, who has been the backbone of Paramount's popular neo-Western drama series Yellowstone, now appears to have become the Achilles' heel that will ultimately lead to its demise.
According to a Paramount Plus insider who spoke with the New York Post, Season 5 of Yellowstone will be the show's final season, reportedly due to issues associated with Kevin Costner. It's the same as with any showrunner and big star – there's respect, but there's friction. Earlier this year, reports surfaced that Costner was not fulfilling his shooting obligations, causing scheduling conflicts with the production of the show. As a result, Part 2 of the fifth season has been delayed indefinitely. Another source from the studio suggests that an ego problem exists between Costner and the show's creator, Taylor Sheridan, and it is not a one-sided issue. Taylor is the star of his show. He's the most important person on all of his shows. We're hoping it will be worked out. It's too big a show for things not to be worked out. Hopefully Kevin will return for the remaining episodes if everyone works together, but it looks like Yellowstone will end after this season. The Yellowstone spinoffs comprise of 1883, 1923, Bass Reeves, 1944, and 6666.
While it is important to mention that Paramount Network has not officially commented on or confirmed these rumors, the fact that they have been corroborated by several sources suggests that there may be some validity to them.