It’s the end of an era for the original flagship Yellowstone series, with Paramount announcing the show will officially end with the remaining episodes of season five, which is set to premiere in November. It will be replaced by a Yellowstone sequel series, which is expected to star Matthew McConaughey and potentially include many cast members from the flagship series.
According to an official release from Davis Glasser at 101 Studios, one of the production entities involved with the show, “The Dutton story continues, picking up where Yellowstone leaves off in another epic tale. We are thrilled to bring this new journey to audiences around the world.”
This follows several months of gossip centred around star Kevin Costner’s alleged reluctance to commit to any significant time shooting the series. Numerous reports say the star was only willing to return to shoot one additional week for the remaining episodes of season five, and it remains to be seen how much of a presence he’ll have for the final episodes. Costner has been busy shooting his multi-part western epic Horizon, which he’s directing and starring in.
So where does that leave the Dutton family? One could assume that Costner’s John Dutton will be killed off in the new episodes, which seems logical. To those thinking Costner could return down the line, it’s not quite as simple as that. One of the reasons Paramount seems so willing to end their most-popular series is that the series streams on Peacock rather than their own in-house streaming service, Paramount+, thanks to pre-existing deals. A sequel series, even if it features much of the same cast, will stream on Paramount+, but were Costner to return, it might seem like the studio was pulling a fast one, so his exit will likely be permanent. This is especially true if the rumors of bad blood between him and showrunner Taylor Sheridan are to be believed. Sheridan is among the most-prolific showrunners out there, having delivered a string of hits for Paramount +, including Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, and the Yellowstone prequels 1883 and 1923.
Do you think the Yellowstone sequel series will include fan favourites like Rip and Beth? Let us know in the comments!