Yellowstone Fans Need to Watch the Epic Kevin Costner Western Series That Debuted 6 Years Earlier

Long before Kevin Costner appeared as John Dutton III in Yellowstone, he was already a star in Hollywood. With two Academy Awards to his name, he was already a renowned actor and director. He became a sensation in 1985’s Silverado and 1989’s baseball drama Field of Dreams. Silverado would not be his last attempt to become a Western standout, as he would later go on to direct, produce, and star in Dances with Wolves (1990). That movie would become an enormous success, grossing $424 million on a $22 million budget, then ushering in Costner’s two Oscars.

Costner went on to enjoy a long and prosperous career, which helped him gain even more influence in Hollywood. He appeared in a litany of famous and infamous movies, including JFK (1991), Waterworld (1995), Man of Steel (2013), and Hidden Figures (2016). All the while, he worked as a producer and director on various projects. The actor has even developed the Horizon: An American Saga franchise, which disappointed at the box office after Chapter One‘s release. The most surprising role that he accepted, however, came six years before the actor debuted on Yellowstone.

Kevin Costner Is Best Known as a Yellowstone Star

Costner Played John Dutton III Until The Final Season

When Costner signed on to Yellowstone, it was a massive surprise. The show, which was created by Taylor Sheridan, first premiered on June 20, 2018, and ran for 53 episodes across five seasons. Alongside Costner, Luke Grimes (Kayce Dutton), Kelly Reilly (Beth Dutton), Wes Bentley (Jamie Dutton), and Cole Hauser (Rip Wheeler) all joined the cast and were primed to enjoy a long career. It would become a veritable sensation, as audiences flocked to see just how the Dutton family would save their economic powerhouse of a ranch. The neo-Western helped to reinvigorate love for the genre at a time when Westerns were becoming increasingly rare. Today, Sheridan has been able to leverage that success into a full-fledged franchise, while also working on other Westerns including Lawmen: Bass Reeves.

By signing on for a rare return to TV, Costner was lending both credibility and attention to Yellowstone.