Everything We Know About the Future of ‘Yellowstone’

Yellowstone’s success is undeniable. CBS is running Yellowstone repeats, Paramount has multiple spinoffs in the works, and John Dutton is such a powerful figure in television that he’s holding up the entire franchise. The series also remains incredibly popular, even at a time when we haven’t seen any new Yellowstone episodes in over a year. But will we again?

Well, Yellowstone fans, I come bearing both good and bad news. The good news is that Yellowstone will get an official ending to season 5. The bad news is that audiences have no another nine months to see it. The final episodes are set for November 2024, according to The Hollywood Reporter, when we’ll see the end the Dutton family saga. I choose to look at the news with a glass half full. Yellowstone will get an actual ending! Plus, Sheridan is reportedly also working on two more spinoffs. There’s a present-day story set in 2024—which is most likely the sequel that Paramount already teased, with Matthew McConaughey likely to star—and there’s another prequel spinoff set in 1944. Fear not, Yellowstone will go on.

The series is set to continue without its leading patriarch, 68-year-old actor Kevin Costner. The actor’s rumored feud with series creator Taylor Sheridan over filming schedules and contract disputes certainly didn’t help the series finale’s delay. Other factors include the SAG-AFTRA strike, Costner’s divorce, the actor’s plans for his own western film franchise (Horizon), and Sheridan’s own strike-while-the-iron’s-hot clip of other Paramount+ series, such as Special Ops: Lioness and Lawmen: Bass Reeves.

A new report from Matthew Belloni of Puck News suggest that Costner’s team is actually “still asking that Sheridan bring him back to finish his arc,” but now it’s the Yellowstone creator who is more than willing to move on without him. “Sheridan is said to be super happy with how he currently wraps up the show—without Costner,” Belloni reported. “With shooting set for this spring and summer, the clock is ticking on any reconciliation.” Furthermore, Paramount has yet to confirm what the future of Matthew McConaughey’s turn with the franchise will mean for the Dutton family saga. But that won’t stop us from speculating anyway—let’s dive in.

Will There Be a Season Six of Yellowstone?

As Paramount announced, plans for a sixth season have already been scrapped in favor of an untitled sequel series starring McConaughey. Will this series be something completely different, or a Season Six with another name? Many cast members have expressed interest in continuing the story, and Paramount was even rumored to be considering bringing back a few earlier Yellowstone characters in some capacity.

According to Taste of Country, the series was also briefly considering adding another long-lost Dutton sibling played by Christian music star Cory Asbury. “I was supposed to be Kayce’s long-lost brother,” he said in an Instagram live video. “We were gonna move to Montana for a full year. We were ready.” Asbury was reportedly set to meet with Luke Grimes and Taylor Sheridan before the off-screen drama began. You never know, Cory! Any and all possibilities still feel very much up in the air.

What About the Spinoffs?

A second season of the Yellowstone prequel, 1923, will go back into production when the the SAG-AFTRA strike reaches an agreement. Another sixth-season-adjacent series for Yellowstone may appear in the long-awaited 6666 spinoff, starring Jimmy (Jefferson White) and the 6666 Ranch in Texas. Many of Yellowstone’s ranch crew—including Rip (Cole Hauser), Walker (Ryan Bingham), Teeter (Jennifer Landon), and more—were sent down to Texas to solve a cattle issue at the end of Season Five’s midseason finale. Now, there’s also the 1944 spinoff announcement. Will the Duttons head to WWII?

Regardless of how it all shakes out, the good news is that Yellowstone has become so popular that priority number-one for Paramount is giving audiences a proper roadmap forward. With a new release date set, anything is possible for the fan-favorite franchise.