Luke Grimes says nobody cast, studio, or fans wanted Yellowstone to end. But Taylor Sheridan pulled the plug anyway, and that changed everything.

Turns out, Yellowstone didn’t end because folks were done with it, it ended despite nearly everyone wanting more. Luke Grimes, who played Kayce Dutton across five explosive seasons, dropped the truth bomb last month: the cast, the studio, and even the network weren’t on board with Taylor Sheridan’s decision to wrap it up in 2024.

“I don’t think the fans wanted it to be over. A lot of us actors kind of didn’t want it to be over, and the studio and network certainly didn’t want it to be over,” Grimes told PEOPLE in a report published on June 24.

You see, Yellowstone had everything going for it – a loyal fanbase, strong viewership, and a whole franchise orbiting around it. But a messy behind-the-scenes standoff (including Kevin Costner’s exit) sent the show into hiatus in 2023. When it returned in late 2024, we only got six final episodes.

What Luke Grimes’ Comment Means for Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Future

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Luke Grimes’ candid reveal hints at something far more telling: the franchise was never creatively or commercially ready to end. His comment, “nobody wanted it to be over,” suggests that the studio, the actors, and even the network didn’t want the show to end. So why did Taylor Sheridan pull the plug?

It’s no secret that Yellowstone was a billion-dollar universe. Per reports, Sheridan’s franchise has generated nearly $3B in revenue, fueled by streaming deals, merch, events, and spinoffs like 1883 and 1923. For a studio, ending a machine like that is a financial risk.

Grimes’ quote adds weight to what many suspected: that the veteran writer ended the original series on his terms, possibly to move beyond Costner drama or pivot the franchise into new directions under full creative control.

Also, Grimes genuinely thought he was done with Kayce. Having wrapped Yellowstone, he packed away the character (and the iconic cowboy gear) for good.

Or so he thought.

Taylor Sheridan’s surprise pitch for Marshals came months later, pulling him back into the Dutton world with a fresh story arc that actually excited him.

“On the last day of shooting, I thought it was my last day as Kayce… It wasn’t until probably three or four months after that that everything started aligning for the [spinoff],” he told the outlet.

And no, Marshals isn’t going to be a slow-burn domestic drama. The 41-year-old made it clear: they’re not doing a “Kayce’s Happy Life” show. In fact, they’re giving him a real story.

This spinoff is set to explore a soul-restored Kayce, now free of the Dutton ranch’s burden but still carrying a complex past. Considering Kayce’s early days were extremely lethal, there’s room for him to dig back into that edge. And with other spin-offs like Dutton Ranch and 1944 brewing, the Yellowstone franchise might’ve just traded one ending for a whole new beginning.

Our Take on Why Ending Yellowstone Was the Best Move Sheridan Ever Made

The Dutton family in a still from Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone | Credit: Paramount Network

At first, I thought Taylor Sheridan ending Yellowstone was a misfire. But now, I feel, it’s probably the most career-defining move he’s ever made. He walked away from a cash cow on his terms. And in doing that, he proved he wasn’t just the guy behind Yellowstone, but he became the very face of the modern TV frontier.

Letting go of his flagship gave him breathing room. Suddenly, he wasn’t boxed in by one story or one cast. He turned a single neo-Western into a whole damn cinematic universe. Now he’s got 1923 pulling numbers, Lawmen: Bass Reeves showing range, Landman doing its job, and The Madison already in production. That’s empire-building, if you ask me.

And he’s doing all this while juggling different networks. Yellowstone was Paramount Network. Now, he’s stretching into Paramount+, CBS, and beyond. That kind of dominance is what separates creators from architects.

In walking away from Yellowstone, Sheridan proved it was bigger than one series. And he made sure his name would go down not just as a showrunner, but as the guy who redrew the literal map of prestige TV.