W hen it comes to the final episodes of Yellowstone’s fifth season, anticipation is running high as we wait to see how the show will continue without Kevin Costner’s John Dutt

Costner has confirmed that he’s not returning to the show — but footage of him appears in the trailer for the final episodes. There’s also voiceover of him saying, “Legacy. You build something worth having, someone is gonna try and take it.”

No harm, no foul, eh? It's no secret that the final season of Yellowstone will be getting underway next month, and between the 2-year hiatus and the departure of lead actor Kevin Costner, fans are less than enthused.

If you’ve been watching Yellowstone, you might have noticed one of the most expensive members of the ranch has gone missing.

From upping the ante on Jamie and Beth’s feud to amplifying Rip’s role on the ranch to forcing Kayce to reckon with his internal battle of picking his family or the ranch, writing John off makes a lot of sense when it comes to intensifying his kids' stories.

"It was always going to happen, it just happened a little bit differently." Although certain aspects of Yellowstone's ending are being kept top secret, there is one part of the show's final episodes that is public knowledge: Kevin Costner will not reprise the role of family patriarch John Dutton.