‘Yellowstone’ producer addresses the controversial series finale: ‘This is always where we were going’

Dismount your horse. The hit cowboy drama “Yellowstone” had its finale on Sunday night, drawing in over 11 million viewers. The show ended by laying John Dutton (Kevin Costner) to rest with a funeral.

Meanwhile, Kayce (Luke Grimes) sold the ranch to local Native American reservation leader Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham). Beth (Kelly Reilly) had a brutal fight with her despised brother Jamie (Wes Bentley), ultimately ending in Jamie’s death. Beth then found peace with Rip on a new ranch.



“The stakes were very high in that scene. I think both Kelly and Wes knew that it was the culmination of all of this story, all of this tragedy, all of this drama,” series director and producer Christina Alexandra Voros told The Post, referring to Beth and Jamie’s fight. She added that although Beth and Jamie have gotten into altercations before, “This had to be checkmate.

It was incredibly difficult on the actors, because they’re not just throwing punches and rolling around on the floor. They have to stay in that emotional space for the hours and hours it takes to shoot a fight sequence like that. So it’s incredibly taxing on them.

I think it was designed to be that brutal.” As for the fate of the ranch, Kayce sold it to Rainwater for a measly $1.25 an acre as a call back to what their ancestors sold it for many years ago.

“My understanding is that this is always where we were going,” Voros said. She added that thanks to the “Yellowstone” prequel series about the Dutton ancestors, such as “1883” and “1923,” the ranch going back to the Native Americans was “a premeditated destination” and there have been “clues” along the way. “I didn’t know until I got the scripts at the beginning of the season.

But [creator Taylor Sheridan] has always known where this story was going...

he had always intended this ending for the land to go back to where it came from,” she said. Costner left the show between the first half of Season 5 and the second half, which aired over a year later. Voros said that John Dutton would have likely died even if he had stayed.

“I think Taylor always knew where the story ended. I think Kevin’s departure may have changed some of the how , but none of the what . When you have created an emotional arc that is draped on the shape of a family legacy that is being upheld by the strong patriarchy, it’s almost Shakespearean – the death of the king.

” Voros is also involved in “Yellowstone” spinoffs, such as the upcoming “The Madison” starring Michelle Pfeiffer. It’s been reported that Beth and her husband Rip (Cole Hauser) will also get their own spinoff show . “I don’t know what the story is until one of Taylor’s scripts shows up in my inbox.

I think he has done a really wonderful job of very clearly closing certain doors and very intentionally leaving others open,” Voros said. About whether characters from Beth and Rip’s untitled show or “The Madison” might appear in each other’s series, she said that at this point, “I could only speculate, and that would probably be a very foolish thing to do..

. I think [Sheridan] has left himself space to build stories in any number of directions.” Voros said that she’s eager for the future because “Kelly Riley is like a sister to me.

And Luke and Kelsey [Asbille]. We’re all a family. I’ve spent more time with them than I have with some of my closest friends.

And we’ve been lucky enough to make something together for a very long time. So I would go where any of them go. I would love to see the continuation of any of those storylines.

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