Yellowstone’s Only Golden Globes Nomination Across 5 Seasons Proves Kevin Costner Was Taylor Sheridan’s Real Golden Goose

Yellowstone winning just a single Golden Globe award in its five-season run proves that Kevin Costner was invaluable to the show.

The dust has finally settled as Yellowstone cowboys rode into the sunset following the show’s fifth and final season. Created by Taylor Sheridan, the Western-drama series scaled new heights of success with each season but faltered in its final installment. Moreover, the series also had to contend with the departure of lead star Kevin Costner.

The cast of Yellowstone (Credit: Paramount Network).

For the first four seasons, Sheridan and Costner proved to be formidable collaborators, with the series achieving critical acclaim and several accolades. However, the show’s track record at the Golden Globe Awards proves that letting Costner go meant Sheridan let his golden goose free. Here is what Yellowstone‘s Golden Globes performance says about the series.

Yellowstone‘s Golden Globe record says a lot about Kevin Costner’s importance

Yellowstone premiered in 2018, with the Taylor Sheridan-created series bringing a renaissance for the Western genre. The series featured Kevin Costner in the lead role of John Dutton, the patriarch of the Dutton family and the story’s primary protagonist.

Kevin Costner as John Dutton in Yellowstone (Credit: Paramount Network).

The show’s critical acclaim also resulted in several accolades over its run, but the Golden Globes continued to ignore it. Despite enjoying a meteoric rise in ratings with each passing season, it was overlooked for nominations in several categories over the years.

However, during the first half of the show’s fifth season, the series secured its first nomination and win at the prestigious awards when Costner registered a win for Best Performance in a Television Series – Drama at the 80th Golden Globe Awards (via goldenglobes.com).

As a result, Costner remains the only cast member to be nominated and win a Golden Globe for the acclaimed series, which concluded late last year with its final batch of episodes not featuring the actor. Therefore, it is safe to say that Costner was indeed more important to the series than Sheridan might’ve given him credit for.

Yellowstone season 5 greatly suffered because of Kevin Costner’s absence

Despite the show’s overwhelming success, especially during the first half of season 5, the series went completely downhill in the second half. Ahead of the later half of season 5, Costner ended up exiting the series amid a highly publicized feud with Sheridan.

Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan (Credit: Paramount Network).

Following Costner’s exit, the series resorted to killing off his character off screen. The final episodes focus on the titular ranch’s legacy and the feud between the Dutton siblings, with Jamie Dutton being pushed as the final antagonist of the series.

The latter plotline received heavy criticism from the fans, with many agreeing that the show’s final episodes were extremely lackluster. As a result, Costner’s absence in the final episodes was greatly felt by the viewers. Ultimately, Costner was truly the golden goose that Sheridan let loose, leading to the show’s dramatic downfall.

Yellowstone is streaming on Peacock.