Will There Be A ‘Yellowstone’ Season 6? Everything We Know

Going into Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2, most fans were under the impression that the show would be coming to an end after the finale aired. Once Kevin Costner confirmed his departure, outlets began referencing the return as “Yellowstone‘s fifth and final season” and fans readied themselves to say goodbye to Taylor Sheridan’s hit Western drama. But then, something curious occurred…

At the end of Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 12 on December 1, a preview for Episode 13 said “only one episode left” until “the season finale.” The choice in words may have been a simple oversight, as the season is ending regardless if it’s the series’ fifth season or fifth and final season. But a number of confused viewers began to wonder why “series finale” wasn’t used instead. So is Yellowstone Season 6 a possibility after all?

Will there be a Yellowstone Season 6? Is Yellowstone Season 5 the final season? Why did Kevin Costner leave the show? And what’s the deal with the Yellowstone spinoffs? We’ve got answers. Here’s what we know about the future of Yellowstone (and beyond).

Will There Be A Yellowstone Season 6?

In May 2023, it was announced that Yellowstone Season 5 would be the final season of the series. The conclusion — post-Kevin Costner’s departure — seemed set in stone and made sense story-wise, but then, on August 27, 2024, TVLine reported that a Season 6 was happening, with stars Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser as leads.

According to the Puck newsletter, OG cast members Reilly and Hauser — who were reportedly in talks to play Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler in a Yellowstone spinoff — were making a deal to stay on Yellowstone. Little is known about a potential continuation of Yellowstone beyond the Season 5 finale, or Reilly and Hauser’s next steps, but perhaps there is reason for Yellowstone Season 6 hopefuls to keep the dream alive.

Judging by all the unknowns and the changes that took place in the two-year gap between Yellowstone Season 5, Part 1 and Part 2, things can always change. If the series does continue, however, whether or not it will remain the same Yellowstone we’ve come to know has yet to be determined. Decider’s Josh Sorokach says there’s a case to be made for a potential title switch and a bit of rebranding that would allow the series to stream on Paramount+ unlike Yellowstone, but ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see. Until then, read on for more info on Costner’s departure and future Yellowstone spinoffs.

Why Did Kevin Costner Leave Yellowstone?

Decider has detailed the long-running tension between Kevin Costner and Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan in the lead-up to Season 5, Part 2’s premiere, but as for the official on-record reason why Costner left Yellowstone behind, he offered insight in a June 20 Instagram video captioned, “An update for you guys. I’ll see you at the movies.”

In the video, Costner said that Horizon: An American Saga — the multi-part Western movie he starred in, directed, co-wrote, and produced — played a role in his decision to move on from John Dutton. “I just want to reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half of working on Horizon, and doing all the things that’s required and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love, that I know you love, I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue, Season 5B or into the future,” Costner said. “It was something that really changed me. I loved it and I know you loved it, and I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning. I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop, and I’ll see you at the movies.”

Days after the social media post, Costner elaborated in an interview with Extra‘s Billy Bush, clarifying that he was waiting to receive more info on the fate of his character, but it never came. “I just hadn’t heard anything about how [John Dutton’s death] would be done,” Costner said. “So it’s time to move on as gracefully as you can with something that’s been very important to you…It was time to move.”

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As Yellowstone fans know, Season 5, Episode 9 suggested that John Dutton died by suicide, but the show later revealed that the patriarch’s death was staged. After Sarah’s (Dawn Olivieri) Episode 8 “offense” conversation with Jamie (Wes Bentley), she took initiative and hired a hit on John, which later came back to bite her.

Following Yellowstone‘s Season 5, Part 2 premiere, Costner was asked about his character’s death during an interview with SiriusXM’s The Michael Smerconish Program. Here’s what he had to say:

“Sometimes I’m like just a passenger in my life, you know, there’s a lot going on. So no, I found out about it this morning actually… I didn’t see it. I heard it’s a suicide, so that doesn’t make me want to rush to go see it…Listen, they’re smart people. Whatever they’re doing, they’ll figure it out…Maybe it’s a red herring. Who knows? They’re very good. And they’ll figure that out.”

Later in the interview, the actor denied that he quit the show and further stressed scheduling issues that kept him from returning. “I didn’t really have to leave anything behind,” Costner said. “There was room, but it was difficult for them to keep their schedule. It seemed to be, it was just too difficult for them to do it…I didn’t leave. I didn’t quit the show.”

The actor claimed that he “accommodated” the Yellowstone team on the contract changes but “finally when they wanted to change it a third time, because I had my obligations to do, I had 300 people waiting for me, I couldn’t help them anymore. I just simply couldn’t help them. But I didn’t quit the show.” So there you have it!

The Latest Yellowstone Spin-off Updates

So what does the Sheridan-verse look like without John Dutton? Ahead of Season 5, Part 2, several Yellowstone spinoffs — titled 1944 and 2024 — were rumored, but we currently have the most information about The Madison, formerly known as 2024.

On August 8, MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios announced that Michelle Pfeiffer would be executive producing and starring in the Yellowstone spinoff, which will also star Lost actor Matthew Fox and feature Patrick J. Adams, Elle Chapman, Beau Garrett, and Amiah Miller. The series was described as “a heartfelt study of grief and human connection following a New York City family in the Madison River valley of central Montana.”

In response to Pfeiffer’s casting, Chris McCarthy, Paramount Global Co-CEO and President/CEO, Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios, said the following: “Michelle Pfeiffer is a remarkable talent who imbues every role with emotional depth, authenticity and grace. She is the perfect anchor to the newest chapter of the Yellowstone universe, The Madison, from the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan.”

While more details await, Variety previously said the series is expected to feature some Yellowstone crossover characters (potentially Beth and Rip) and begin airing at some point after the original series concludes. We’ve also still got our fingers crossed for a 6666 spinoff series, set at the Four Sixes ranch starring Jefferson White, but TV Insider reports that’s currently on hold, so stay tuned!

New episodes of Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2 premiere Sundays at 8:00 p.m. ET on Paramount Network.