The One Way 'Yellowstone' Should End Without Killing Off Kevin Costner's John Dutton

With "Yellowstone" re-airing its first season on CBS amidst a plethora of strike-related primetime TV options, the hugely popular western drama continues to somehow gain millions of new viewers who hadn’t already tuned in on Paramount Network or streamed with a Peacock subscription. With all this renewed attention on Kevin Costner’s John Dutton and the rest of the Montana-set clan, it just makes the wait for the rest of Season 5’s episodes all the more frustrating, knowing there isn’t much of a resolution in sight just yet. But going by what we already know, combined with a bit of rumor-mill fodder, I think I’ve come up with the perfect way for "Yellowstone" to officially close out and set up the direct follow-up series without fans having to actually see Costner’s beloved character die.