Earlier this year, it was announced that Yellowstone‘s fifth season would return for its second half in the summer of 2023, but as more and more drama has unfolded behind the scenes, the future of the series has only gotten murkier. This week, Paramount announced Yellowstone will, in fact, end with season five—and that the story of the Duttons will continue in an as-yet-untitled sequel (possibly starring Matthew McConaughey).
Here’s what we know so far about what the future holds for the denizens of Montana’s most dramatic ranch.
The show will end with the second half of season five.
In February Deadline reported that the show could be ending in the near future, saying that the series would wrap up and be replaced by a new spin-off show starring Matthew McConaughey. Per the publication, the root of the issue was a disagreement with Yellowstone star Kevin Costner over the series’s shooting schedule, however Costner’s attorney Marty Singer denied the claims.
“The idea that Kevin was only willing to work one week on the second half of Season 5 of Yellowstone is an absolute lie,” Singer told Puck News. “It’s ridiculous—and anyone suggesting it shouldn’t be believed for one second.” He added, “As everyone who knows anything about Kevin is well aware, he is incredibly passionate about the show and has always gone way above and beyond to ensure its success.”
“We have no news to report,” a Paramount Network spokesperson told Deadline at the time. “Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come. Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner.”
In late March, Paramount Media Networks head Chris McCarthy told The Hollywood Reporter that McConaughey will be joining the Yellowstone-verse after all. The exec added that the show will be a new spin-off, which will go ahead regardless of whether Costner returns to Yellowstone
Will there be a season 6 of Yellowstone?
In May, Paramount finally confirmed that Yellowstone
“Yellowstone has been the cornerstone on which we have launched an entire universe of global hits – from 1883 to Tulsa King, and I am confident our Yellowstone sequel will be another big hit, thanks to the brilliant creative mind of Taylor Sheridan and our incredible casts who bring these shows to life,” Chris McCarthy, President & CEO Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, said in a statement.
Yellowstone is the basis for a number of spin-off shows for Paramount’s streaming service, Paramount+. As part of show creator Taylor Sheridan’s ever-growing slate of offerings, the second Yellowstone prequel, 1923, was recently picked up for another season. Additional episodes for the previous hit prequel 1883 were previously announced, though there has been no news as to when (or if) they could potentially premiere. In February 2021, it was also announced that Sheridan was developing a spin-off under the working title 6666, set on Texas’s historic 6666 ranch, which is set to debut some time in 2023. Whether or not that project could have some connection to the McConaughey series is not yet clear, but given McConaughey’s Texas background, it remains a possibility.
In June 2022, Kelly Reilly, who stars on the show as the deliciously cut-throat Beth Dutton, opened up to Vulture about season five, confiding, “People keep saying, ‘Is it the end? It must be the end!’ It’s not the end.”
We will update this post as new information becomes available.
