'Yellowstone' Fans Seethe With Rage Over John Dutton's Fate: REACTIONS

"Yellowstone" fans are pretty upset with John Dutton's exit from the series.

The hit neo-Western series from Taylor Sheridan returned Sunday night - read my full review and breakdown here - on the Paramount Network, and fans all had one big question they wanted answered:

How would John Dutton be handled with Kevin Costner no longer on the show?

Well, it took very little time to get the answer to that question.

"Yellowstone" fans aren't happy with John Dutton's fate.

*WARNING: THERE ARE MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW. DO NOT KEEP READING IF YOU AREN'T CAUGHT UP. CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED.*

John Dutton's fate was revealed in the opening moments of the show. He's dead from what is supposed to look like a suicide. Of course, we all know it's murder. John Dutton would never kill himself, and his death is going to set up the inevitable clash between Jamie and Beth.

We already saw a bit of that unfold in the season 5B premiere. While I enjoyed it, many fans are very upset with John Dutton's exit from the story. Check out some reactions below, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com:

I'm actually surprised people are this shocked by John Dutton's storyline ending with a murder meant to look like a suicide.

It was obviously the best option on the table. If Costner had stuck around, then I think you would have a blaze of glory death. However, that's a bit hard to do when the man who plays John Dutton is no longer on the show.

Let's also be clear-eyed about the situation. John Dutton was always going to die. That was always going to happen. No other ending would have made sense. Anyone who says otherwise has no idea what they're talking about.

With Costner off the show, the murder of John Dutton framed as a suicide allows the story to unfold in the best way possible. It sets up the inevitable final war between Jamie - who later claimed he never actually authorized Sarah to carry it out - and Beth.

"Yellowstone" fans are very unhappy with John Dutton's death.

The biggest question now is whether Sheridan can bring this whole saga home with the final five remaining episodes. I'm very optimistic he can, and we'll certainly find out soon enough. Hit me with your reactions to the premiere of season 5B at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.