I'd Like To See John Dutton Return In Y: Marshals. Why I Think It's Possible Without Kevin Costner

Ever since Y: Marshals was placed on CBS’s 2025-2026 lineup, I’ve been thinking about how this upcoming Yellowstone show can expand the story of Luke Grimes’ Kayce Dutton. One element of this character’s life that I’m dying to know more about is his relationship with his father, who was played by Kevin Costner in the original series. I think this show has a great opportunity to do just that, too, and I actually think it can easily do it (and do it well) without the actor best known for playing the Dutton patriarch.

Now, as I’m sure you’re aware, Kevin Costner left Yellowstone ahead of its final episodes, and it was not exactly amicable. Rumors swirled for months about his exit, and issues he and the show’s creator, Taylor Sheridan, ran into that reportedly led to him not playing John anymore. Then, in the Season 5B premiere, John was killed off, and the actor who played him didn’t appear on the show again.

With all that being said, I would assume that the odds of the Bull Durham actor showing up in Y: Marshals are slim to none. First of all, as we just discussed, John Dutton is dead and cannot show up in the present. Second, if they did want to bring him back for flashbacks, based on how his Yellowstone exit went down, I’d guess he’d say no (though nothing is impossible). However, there is a very easy way for the character of John Dutton to return, and I really hope they do it.

Remember, Kevin Costner is not the only actor who plays John Dutton. In flashbacks, Josh Lucas portrays the Dutton patriarch. And I think it’d be brilliant to bring him back as we dive into Kayce’s story.

Over the course of Yellowstone’s run (which you can stream with a Peacock subscription), Josh Lucas appeared in nine episodes as the younger version of John Dutton. He was great in the role, too, and I always appreciated learning more about the family’s history through these flashbacks.

However, one person these flashbacks almost always neglected was Kayce. I’ve always had a bone to pick with Kayce’s story for that reason, as well. His military past and tense relationship with his father was always mentioned, but never seen. And I desperately wanted to see it.

Luke Grimes does too. A while back, he told me that it would be interesting to explore Kayce’s past in the special forces and the trauma that experience caused. Y: Marshals feels like the perfect place to dive into that history, and I’d love to see it played out in a way that included John. That’s because these two butted heads a lot during that time, and I’d like to know how their relationship turned Kayce into the man he is today.

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They can easily do that, too, by bringing Josh Lucas back to play John and casting a new young actor to play Kayce in his teens and early 20s. So, CBS, can we get on this, please? And in the meantime, you better believe I’ll be tuning into Y: Marshals on March 1 to see how this next chapter in the youngest Dutton’s story continues.