When Yellowstone’s series finale finally airs, Luke Grimes knows viewers won’t be disappointed.
During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Grimes, 40, shared that he read the script for the final episode “the day before we started shooting.”
“I couldn’t be happier. I think it’s a perfect ending for the show for every character,” he said. “It’s just a testament to what a good writer Taylor [Sheridan] is, and it’s a very, very profound, beautiful ending. I can’t wait to sit down and watch it one day.”
For five drama-fueled seasons, Yellowstone has followed the Dutton family — patriarch John (Kevin Costner), Jamie (Wes Bentley), Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce (Grimes) — and their conflicts revolving around the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. The show premiered in June 2018, with the first half of season 5 wrapping up in January 2023.
The following month, rumors began swirling that Costner was leaving the show to focus on his multi-part Western movie series Horizon: An American Saga. When an agreement between Costner and Sheridan couldn’t be reached, and as the 2023 SAG and WGA strikes extended into the fall, the network announced that the second half of season 5 would be the show’s final installment.
The premiere of the show’s final episodes were then delayed by a year to November 2024 — nearly two years after the first part of season 5 aired.
Despite the delay, Reilly, 47, told Entertainment Weekly the break was a boon.
“With the [SAG and WGA] strikes and with changes with certain things, everything got delayed longer than anybody wanted,” she said. “In a weird way, having a little break meant that you’re coming back to something that you’re not taking for granted, and the scripts were so good. So good. We got to finish something rather than draw something out or prolong it.”
Reilly recognized that Yellowstone has a “huge following of fans” who are “emotionally connected” to the series.
“Some of them are mad as hell that we’ve taken so long, but we’re like, ‘It’s not our fault! We wanted to go to work!’” she explained.
Grimes then added, “I’ve been itching to get back to the show, and I’m so glad it finally worked out, and we got to finish strong.”
Shooting has already wrapped on Yellowstone, which has been bittersweet for some members of the case, including Grimes.
“There’s definitely a sort of summer camp blues feeling,” the actor explained. “All my friends are going away, but I’ve made friends for life on this job. I’m glad we got to finish strong.”
Added Bentley, 46: “It’s one of the biggest things I’ve ever been a part of, and it’s a character that’s a double-edged sword. It’s both very satisfying to play a character who’s given so much emotional work to do, but it also takes its toll. I’m excited to let him go, but I’m also sad to let him go.”
Meanwhile, the Yellowstone universe will live on with spinoff shows, including season 2 of 1923 and two new upcoming shows: another prequel called 1944 and the previously announced sequel series entitled The Madison starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
Part 2 of Yellowstone’s season 5 returns Sunday, Nov. 10, on Paramount Network.