In a dramatic twist both on and off screen, "Yellowstone" has returned for its new season with what many see as a deliberate slight to former star Kevin Costner. After a bitter behind-the-scenes feud with creator Taylor Sheridan, the show chose a surprisingly undignified exit for Costner's character.
"I haven't even watched it yet, but I heard it was suicide - and that doesn't make me want to watch it," Costner revealed in a recent interview with The Michael Smerconish Program. The actor, who seemed taken aback by his character's fate, added, "I still see posters with my face everywhere and think, 'Hey, I'm not there anymore.'"
The contentious departure comes after months of tension between Costner and series creator Sheridan, culminating in the actor's exit announcement last June. Rather than giving John Dutton a heroic sendoff, the show chose what many fans consider a deliberately humiliating end for the character.
"Maybe it's misdirection?" Costner speculated when told his character didn't seem the suicidal type. "They're smart people, they'll figure it out. That ending is their business."
The unceremonious exit marks a bitter end to what had been one of television's biggest success stories, where behind-the-scenes drama ultimately rivaled the on-screen plot lines.
Israel Hayom contributed to this TV review.
