The Taylor Sheridan series also starred Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly and Kevin Costner

Amid the controversy and drama surrounding the last season of Taylor Sheridan’s western epic Yellowstone, fans of the show still found satisfaction in its conclusion.

From Kevin Costner’s decision to step away from the franchise to pursue his own projects, to the delays in filming and the large gap between parts of the final season, the show managed to end with quite a bang both on-screen and off.

However, things are looking up for some of the show’s central characters, three of whom are confirmed to be receiving the spin-off treatment. One of them is Kayce Dutton, played by Luke Grimes.

Luke’s return

CBS previously confirmed that it greenlit a sequel featuring John and Evelyn Dutton’s youngest son, tentatively named Y: Marshals, and set for release in the fall of the 2025-26 TV season.

Luke, 41, reacted to the news with a social media post featuring the announcement and his caption that read: “Cowboys don’t say goodbye, they say see you later.”

Fans had mixed feelings, however. Several were excited to see Luke and Kayce return, responding with comments like: “So hyped for this! Kayce was one of my favorite characters,” and: “Kayce is coming back! My favorite Dutton.”

Others were a bit more apprehensive, positing that the character received sufficient closure in the series finale. “But didn’t Kayce say having his own ranch got him out from under a badge? It seemed like the ending was him being at peace and running his own ranch with his family,” one fan commented, with another also saying: “Please find a new love interest.”

The Yellowstone franchise

Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly are also poised for a return as their characters Rip Wheeler and Beth Dutton respectively in a separate greenlit spin-off. Another sequel in the works is The Madison, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Patrick J. Adams.

During a conversation with Men’s Health shy of the Yellowstone finale, Luke spoke about what he thinks Kayce Dutton had learned by that point, and the lessons he’d imbibed specifically from his family.

“His big arc has been his father wanting him to step into his shoes and take over this massive ranch, which is, you know, impossible, and really the last thing on earth Kayce wants to do,” he shared.

“He loves that way of life, but he wants a much simpler version of it. We’ve seen him struggle between his personal family and then the legacy of his larger family. This last season, he’s really had to take action, which can be uncomfortable for him.”

Kayce’s ending

Luke does say, however, that despite finding some frustration in Kayce’s indecisiveness compared to his own steadfast nature, he is glad with where the younger Dutton ends up by the conclusion.

“It’s the perfect ending,” he mused. “I think anyone who cares about Kayce will be very, very pleased with how everything goes. Taylor [Sheridan] is just such a good writer. He had the ending in mind from the very beginning. Sometimes it’s like he starts from the end and figures out how to get there.”