By Harry Johnson
The hit Paramount Network show Yellowstone will end after the second half of Season 5 airs this fall, according to inside sources. Despite strong ratings, rumored tensions between show creator Taylor Sheridan and lead actor Kevin Costner led to the decision to wrap up the Dutton family saga.
Costner has portrayed ranching patriarch John Dutton since the show’s premiere in 2018, becoming the face of the neo-Western drama. However, sources say Costner was ready to leave the show, while Sheridan wanted it to continue. Unable to reach an agreement, the two decided Season 5 would be the end.
The news disappointed many fans who looked forward to following the Dutton family for years to come. But Sheridan eases their worries, confirming that a new spinoff is in the works, starring Matthew McConaughey as a new ranching family in the Yellowstone universe. Sheridan praised Costner’s “brilliant” work bringing John Dutton to life, calling the character “a stoic symbol of the American West” whose story had reached its natural conclusion.
While Yellowstone rides off into the sunset, fans can look forward to its prequel series 1883 and the upcoming 1923, as well as the new spinoff. The Dutton family legacy will live on, just through other shows in what has become an entire Yellowstone television universe under Sheridan’s control.
Yellowstone Season 5 returns this fall on Paramount Network. Catch up on old episodes now streaming on Peacock and Amazon Prime Video. And don’t miss the network premiere of Season 4 when it hits CBS on September 17. The Dutton drama may be ending, but there are still plenty of adventures to come!