Some "Yellowstone" actors looked familiar, though none more so than Kevin Costner, who has been in Hollywood for decades. Costner played John Dutton III, the powerful family patriarch and owner of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. He was an integral part of the show, which is why many fans were upset when he didn't return for the second installment of Season 5.

There had been rumors going around that Costner wouldn't be making his return as John as early as 2023. However, many viewers were holding out hope that Costner would finish the series. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, and (spoiler alert!) Costner's character was killed off at the start of Season 5, part 2. The last episodes of the show then centered in large part around his death. Granted, show creator Taylor Sheridan hinted that John was always going to die at some point in the series, but Costner's exit sped things up.

So, why did Costner leave a hit show in the middle of a season? It sounds like it came down to an issue of timing and expectations, and through it all, there was plenty of talk about behind-the-scenes drama between Costner and Sheridan.

Rumors that Kevin Costner would be leaving "Yellowstone" first started floating around in early 2023. They stemmed from reports of scheduling issues and conflicts between Costner and the show's creator, Taylor Sheridan. Allegedly, the actor only wanted to spend a week filming his final scenes. However, Costner's team refuted that claim. "As everyone who knows anything about Kevin is well aware, he is incredibly passionate about the show and has always gone way above and beyond to ensure its success," one of his lawyers told Puck.