After five riveting season, Paramount’s “Yellowstone” is dropping the curtains for good, the network announced Friday.
“Yellowstone” in its current form would end after the second half of this season airs this fall, according to Deadline. The final six episodes are expected to land on the small screen in November.
Word broke in February that the back half of the latest “Yellowstone” season could be the show’s last with Kevin Costner as John Dutton. Scheduling conflicts with Costner’s multi-part western movie epic “Horizon” precluding the star from continuing his role as patriarch of the Montana ranch family.
Entertainment Tonight reignited claims that Costner wouldn’t continue past the current season amid alleged differences between the actor and series creator Taylor Sheridan. It’s unclear whether Costner will return for the final six episodes, which are scheduled to start filming in August, according to Deadline.
However, a “Yellowstone” sequel show is already in the works with a planned December release date.
It’s unknown what actors from the flagship series will join the “Yellowstone” sequel show. The drama spawned by Costner’s impasse with Sheridan has frustrated the rest of the cast. Where Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton, and Cole Hauser, who plays Rip Wheeler, will land is a hot topic of gossip. Show insiders do expect that a new cast will include several of the big stars.
What is in negotiations is the possibility that Matthew McConaughey will replace Costner as the show’s lead. The sequel series will be the first project in the “Yellowstone” universe to directly follow the franchise show.
Sheridan created two prequel spinoff shows following the Dutton family in “1883” and “1923,” with the latter series coming back for another season. Additionally, “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” has been filming around North Texas and tells the story of the real-life first Black deputy U.S. marshal west of the Mississippi River. David Oyelowo is cast in the titular role.
Unlike the flagship show, the “Yellowstone” sequel series will run on the Paramount Network and then air on the company’s streaming service — Paramount+. Due to a prior deal with NBCUniversal before Paramount+ even existed, the first four and eventually fifth season of “Yellowstone” are only able to stream on Peacock.
Paramount+ holds the streaming rights for “1883,” “1923” and “Lawmen: Bass Reeves”. Other Sheridan created shows such as “Tulsa King” and “Mayor of Kingstown” are also available on Paramount+.
“’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,” said Chris McCarthy, President & CEO Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios.
“Yellowstone” first hit the small screen in 2018 and has grown in popularity ever since, including being the most watched show in 2022. Sheridan, who is from Weatherford, chose to host the “Yellowstone” season five premiere in Fort Worth at the Stockyards last November.
