The short answer is: no. The long answer is: somewhat, but not in name. The end of Costner’s tenure on Yellowstone doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the Yellowstone story, but rather the end of the Yellowstone franchise. The show continues to do well in the ratings, helping to establish creator Taylor Sheridan as not just a major hit but an entire franchise around his name.
That success will allow them to wrap up the main property with season 5 and they’re reportedly branching out into more spin-offs, like the previously announced Yellowstone franchise expansion that could star Matthew McConaughey. That show is currently in production and was previously announced to move forward regardless of Costner’s return to the original, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Costner won’t be officially replaced, meaning no other actor will take on the role of John Dutton III. However, as Deadline reported in February, the franchise will reportedly be led by McConaughey, whose role has yet to be revealed.
Are Other Actors Leaving Too?
Fortunately, Costner’s drama with Paramount hasn’t extended to all of his castmates. The absence of Season 6 doesn’t mean that other beloved Yellowstone characters will be gone from our screens entirely. As Deadline initially reported, It’s unclear which Yellowstone actors will be joining the McConaughey-led series, but several big stars are expected to join.
That means actors like Kelly Reilly, Luke Grimes, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asp ell, Jill Birmingham, and Wes Bentley may not appear in Season 6 but in a different continuation of the same story.
Why Won’t Be a Yellowstone There Season 6 Without Kevin Costner?
Yellowstone star Kevin Costner has announced that he’s done with the series, and while the main show will conclude its final season without him, he won’t continue past the end of Season 5. The wildly popular Western has already aired the first half of its fifth season in 2022, but the remaining episodes have yet to be released due to tensions between the cast and the producer’s network and a notable confluence of the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Paramount recently announced that the farewell episodes would arrive in November 2024, but Costner quickly revealed that he would not be involved.
Costner’s exit will have a major impact on the remaining stories of Yellowstone . It has created a spillover for the series and dashed hopes for a sixth season. So, here’s everything we know so far about the future of the series.
Will there be a Yellowstone season 6?
The short answer is: no. The long answer is: somewhat, but not in name. The end of Costner’s journey to Yellowstone doesn’t necessarily mean the end of Yellowstone as a story, but rather the end of the Yellowstone series itself. The show is seeing a ratings surge, which has helped show runner Taylor Sheridan achieve not only personal success, but an entire franchise around his name.
That success will allow them to wrap up the main property with season five and they are said to be branching out into more spin-offs, such as the previously announced Yellowstone franchise extension that could star Matthew McConaughey.
The spin-off is currently in production, and it was previously announced that it will move forward regardless of whether Costner returns to the original film, according to The Hollywood Reporter . Costner won’t be officially replaced, meaning no other actor will take over the role of John Dutton III. However, as Deadline reported in February, the franchise expansion will reportedly be led by McConaughey, whose role has yet to be revealed.
Digging into the Dutton Family Tree in Yellowstone, 1923 and 1883
Yellowstone has always been a series that cares about legacy, even if it’s not obsessed with heritage. The Yellowstone Ranch, where the fictional Dutton family has lived since the late 1800s, is foremost in the mind of John Dutton III, played by Kevin Costner, who speaks with the gruff voice of a cowboy ahead of his time. He’s often more concerned with the well-being of the land than he is with his children or perhaps because he simply finds it easier to understand what it takes to thrive.
But if the ever-expanding Yellowstone cinematic universe has anything to say about legacy, it’s that the legacy of a land is determined by the people who care for it, and that means the Dutton dynasty this century, the father and son of the Babar saga matters more than the limits of their wealth.
And so we move to 1883 and 1923 , the spin-off from creator Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone series, which follows the upper echelons of the family up to John Dutton III and his four (almost) children. 1883 , which wrapped its first season in February 2022, stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as the central Dutton’s, who stake a claim to control an infamous Montana wilderness area known as Yellowstone after the tragic death of their daughter Elsa, known as the Dutton Ranch.
The story begins in 1923—with the first episode arriving on December 18—with the Dutton’s presiding over this chapter, Harrison Ford and Helen Murrin. Ford’s Jacob Dutton, brother of McGraw’s James Dutton, is tasked with looking after his brother’s home and family, a challenge complicated by the problems expected of the 20th century disease, drought, the Great Depression, the aftermath of war, and the violence that always haunts this family, as the 1923 trailer puts it. The last line is especially interesting,
Given how the Yellowstone universe transcends the romance of tradition, the nobility of the past—even if only fragments of it and generational trauma.
So to better understand this ghostly family, it’s important to understand its origins. Below, a closer look at the potential nodes in the Dutton family tree. However, a quick disclaimer: Since the Taylor Sheridan universe has yet to reveal an official Dutton family tree, what follows is speculation based on what the show has revealed so far.