Since its premiere in 2018, Yellowstone has been a breakout hit for the Paramount Network and one of the most popular shows on TV. Taylor Sheridan’s modern Western also revitalized Kevin Costner’s career by placing him in the lead as John Dutton, the patriarch of the Dutton family, who own the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, one of the largest ranches in Montana.
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The fifth season of Yellowstone premiered in 2022, but the future of the series and the franchise were called into question when reports emerged that Costner was leaving the show and Paramount Network had already ordered a sequel series that will continue without Costner’s involvement. To bring everyone up to speed, here’s everything you need to know about the future of Yellowstone.
Will there be a sixth season of Yellowstone?
Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler lay down next to each other in Yellowstone.
Paramount Network
Until August 2024, it had been understood that the remaining episodes of Yellowstone season 5 would wrap up the series. However, it sounds like Paramount Network isn’t willing to let its most popular show go quietly. Deadline is reporting that negotiations are underway with Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser to co-headline a sixth season of Yellowstone. Reilly portrays Beth Dutton, and Hauser portrays her husband, Rip Wheeler.
Ahead of the series finale of Yellowstone, word broke on Deadline that Reilly and Hauser have signed on for a new Yellowstone spinoff series rather than continuing the original show with a sixth season. This move makes sense because neither Beth nor Rip has a direct connection to the new characters who will be at the center of the other upcoming Yellowstone spinoff, The Madison.
Who will join Reilly and Hauser in the new Yellowstone spinoff?
Kelsey Asbille, Luke Grimes, and Moses Brings Plenty in Yellowstone.
Paramount Network
Deadline’s report states that series creator Taylor Sheridan is currently putting the new show together, and it will have Yellowstone in its title. The outlet also mentioned that it will “likely feature other cast members from the mothership series alongside Reilly and Hauser.”
For now, no other cast members are attached, and there is no definitive timetable for when the new series will begin filming. The one thing we know for certain is that Kevin Costner won’t be back in any capacity.
Will Luke Grimes star in the spinoff?
Luke Grimes in Yellowstone.
Paramount Network
Luke Grimes is not expected to join Reilly and Hauser in the new spinoff. However, Paramount might have other ideas for Grimes. Per Puck’s Matt Belloni, CBS is developing a spinoff series around Grimes’ Kayce Dutton. This will be a procedural and separate from the Reilly-Hauser spinoff. Deadline later reported that SEAL Team’s Spencer Hudnut was involved with the Kayce spinoff.
Is Matthew McConaughey going to star in the Yellowstone spinoff?
Matthew McConaughey in True Detective season 1.
HBO
Every report since February 2023 has stated that McConaughey is in negotiations to star in the Yellowstone spinoff series. So far, there has been no confirmation that McConaughey has closed his deal. In February 2024, Puck reported McConaughey would not sign on until he saw a script for the spinoff. If McConaughey does agree to a contract, it would be his first leading role on TV since HBO’s first season of True Detective in 2014. McConaughey’s star power is also arguably greater than Costner’s at this point in their respective careers.
As of April 2025, McConaughey is not involved in any Yellowstone spinoff.
Does the spinoff series have a title?
Michelle Pfeiffer in Ant-Man looking scared and up to the sky.
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The official name for the first show is now The Madison. With that bit of intel also comes the first description for the series, which reportedly “follows a New York City family in the Madison River valley of central Montana.” It’s also called “a heartfelt study of grief and human connection.”
The direct Yellowstone spinoff starring Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser doesn’t have a name yet, but it will have “Yellowstone” in the title.
Is Michelle Pfeiffer going to star in a Yellowstone spinoff?
Michelle Pfeiffer puts her hands up against a wall and leans in Murder on the Orient Express.
20th Century Fox
Yes. Via Variety, Michelle Pfeiffer will star in The Madison and executive produce the show alongside series creator Taylor Sheridan. Pfeiffer will play Stacy Clyburn.
In a statement, Paramount Global co-CEO Chris McCarthy acknowledged the news and said, “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.”
There was no mention of McConaughey’s name, and the last few updates about the series have conspicuously left him out. Pfeiffer’s involvement with the project was first reported in February 2024 by Puck, which noted that the actress was in talks to join the Yellowstone spinoff alongside McConaughey.
Who else is slated to star in The Madison?
Patrick J. Adams in Suits.
UCP
After months of apparent inactivity, the cast of the Yellowstone spinoff The Madison is coming together. Via The Hollywood Reporter, Suits star Patrick J. Adams has signed on to a starring role opposite Pfeiffer. Adams will play Russell McIntosh, a man who is described as someone “who has followed the life path set before him from the start.”
Film actress Elle Chapman, whose previous credits include A Man Called Otto and Florida Wild, is making her TV debut in this series as Paige McIntosh, a “somewhat self-centered woman who indulges in a luxurious New York lifestyle provided by her parents and investment banker husband.” She is Russell’s wife and the daughter of Pfeiffer’s character.
Firefly Lane‘s Beau Garrett has also been cast as Abigail Reese. Abigail doesn’t appear to be a member of the McIntosh family, but she is a recently divorced single mother who is described as a “resilient and sardonic New Yorker.” Abigail is Paige’s sister and the other daughter of Pfeiffer’s character. Amiah Miller will play Abigail’s oldest daughter.
Lost star Matthew Fox has also landed a leading role on the series as Paul, “a self-reliant bachelor who loves the outdoors.” It’s unclear if he has any relationship to the McIntosh family.
Other cast members announced include Kevin Zegers as Cade, Stacy’s new neighbor; Alaina Pollack as Macy, Abigail’s youngest daughter; Rebecca Spence as Liliana Weeks; Stacy’s friend and a New York City elitist; and Danielle Vasinova as Kestrel, “an indigenous woman married to a Montana rancher who lives with her family on a double-wide trailer on their ranch.”
A previous report from Deadline noted that veteran actor Kurt Russell is also in talks to join the series. However, Russell was never announced as a castmember.
Where can I watch Yellowstone?
Kevin Costner leans over a fence in Yellowstone.
Paramount
Yellowstone fans can watch every episode of Yellowstone on Peacock. Due to an early licensing agreement, Yellowstone streams on Peacock, not Paramount+. The Yellowstone spinoffs, including 1883 and 1923, stream on Paramount+.
Peacock
Is Yellowstone season 5, part 2 the definitive ending of the story?
Wes Bentley holds a phone up to his ear in Yellowstone.
Paramount Network
During a recent interview with Variety, executive producer Christina Alexandra Voros called the finale “an end of an era.”
“I think this last batch of episodes leads us to the end of an era,” said Voros. “It’s impossible to talk about it in any detail without tipping my hat towards things to come. But I think Taylor [Sheridan] has managed to — and I’m really not sure how he’s done it — I think it’s sort of masterful, bring the ending to something that feels both shocking and fated at the same time. You need to get to the end of the story to fully understand everything that has come before.”
Why is Kevin Costner leaving Yellowstone?
Kevin Costner in Yellowstone.
The Paramount Network
In February 2023, Deadline reported that the dispute between Costner and The Paramount Network concerned his participation in season 5’s filming schedule. It noted that Costner’s priority was Horizon, a new multipart Western film that is his current passion project. According to the report, Costner’s commitments to those films led him to shoot only 50 days for the first half of Yellowstone season 5. But Costner “only wanted to spend a week shooting” for the remaining episodes of the season. Subsequently, Paramount Network made plans to end the series and push toward a sequel show.
Sheridan addressed the issue in a June 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, where he said: “My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct. He and the network argued about when he could be done with Yellowstone. I said, ‘We can certainly work a schedule toward [his preferred exit date],’ which we did.”
“My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t altered,” added Sheridan. “I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone. But once lawyers get involved, then people don’t get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren’t true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting. He took a lot of this on the chin, and I don’t know that anyone deserves it … I’m disappointed. It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.”
What does Kevin Costner say about his future involvement with Yellowstone?
John Dutton and a woman stand in a field in Yellowstone.
The Paramount Network
Costner has not given interviews about the subject until very recently. As reported by Deadline, Costner’s departure from Yellowstone came up during his divorce proceedings in September 2023,
“Somewhere along the line, they wanted to change things,” said Costner during his testimony in court. “They wanted to do 5A and 5B; [it] affected Horizon. I was going to do my movie Horizon and leave that show, do my movie, then do B. A show I was only doing once a year I was now doing twice.”
“We did negotiate,” added Costner. “There were issues about creative … I tried to break the logjam. They walked away.” Costner also noted that he was offered $24 million to shoot Yellowstone seasons 6 and 7. Additionally, Costner said that he will “probably go to court” over his dispute with Paramount Network. But as of January 2024, no court case has been filed by the actor. And it is still unknown if Costner will return for the final episodes of Yellowstone.
However, a March 2024 report from Matthew Belloni of Puck News stated that Costner wants to return for Yellowstone’s final run of episodes.
“Kevin Costner has been telling people he’s planning to return for at least a cameo and possibly more, but there are currently no discussions for him to do that,” Belloni wrote in his newsletter. “Even if Costner significantly lowers his financial and time commitment demands, Sheridan may not want to bother reopening his finished scripts to accommodate a send-off for John Dutton.
Those comments were borne out by Costner himself, who has spent the last three months talking about his desire to return to Yellowstone in some capacity… and on his own terms.
A possible return to Yellowstone
Even in June 2024, with new episodes in production, Costner is still striking a conciliatory tone while praising the series.
“I’ve supported that thing and I’ve loved it,” Costner said during an appearance on NBC’s Today. “It’s been really important to me. I would love to go back under the right circumstances I think that all of us want. For me, it really needs to be the right circumstances.”
Costner added that “there’s always a chance,” he could still return, even now. “I love the thing. You’ve got to be really clear about that.”
Kevin Costner addresses the rumors about his Yellowstone exit
The cast of Yellowstone.
The Paramount Network
Costner is now promoting his new western, Horizon. His interview with Deadline on May 13 showed his apparent anger about the situation and the story that has unfolded in the media over the last year.
“I don’t want to get down in the gutter with the Yellowstone thing but what I’m telling you is straight up,” Costner said. “I have taken a beating from those f***ing guys and I know a lot of times where it’s coming from. I just elected not to get into that. But if you know me well enough, I made Yellowstone the first priority, and to insinuate anything else would be wrong. I did not initiate any of those things. They did. They were doing a tap dance and this poor guy was also having to write so much. And I don’t know why they didn’t stick up for me.”
Costner’s account from his divorce trial lines up with his latest comments about the issues facing Yellowstone season 5, part 2, particularly the lack of scripts to shoot. He also explained where the rumor came from that he only wanted to work a week on the remaining episodes of the season.
“They didn’t have the scripts for anything else,” Costner said. “So, what you read in the end was that I said, ‘Well, look, I’m doing my movie. If you want me to work a week because you want to kill me or whatever else, I can give you a week.’ I really didn’t have that week to give them, but I said, I’ll do that. And then they [spun that] into, I only wanted to work a week.”
“I’m usually working six or seven days per each, whatever they are,” Costner added. “And they took that and a source on their side spun that into, well, he only wants to work a week for a whole season. Do you think that’s who I am? I’ve never missed a day of work. I’ve never left before fulfilling my contractual obligations. A lot of times, I stay as much as I can. In fact, I worked the nine-day stretch just to try to help them in July, when I was starting [Horizon] August 1. I worked a Saturday and Sunday for them, and they still needed four more days. I gave it to them, when I thought we were going to do this so-called B, but there was no B thing. I was just going to give ‘em those extra four days.”
Kevin Costner in Yellowstone standing next to a horse.
Paramount
Costner also voiced his frustration that Sheridan and others did not defend him in the press while these stories were circulating.
“They were silent and that bothered me in the world of how you do things,” Costner said. “Why don’t you stick up for me? I went and sold this thing for you. I was going to only do one season. I made it for three. I fulfilled three. So, I went from one to three, then I did a fourth one for them and they wanted to do three more. So, I made the contract to do that. They imploded. I had a contract to do five, six and seven. I was contracted to do that. There’s nothing I could have done to get out of that, nor was I trying to just figure out how, when we started. When we finished, I wanted to do Horizon. It all happened because they shut down one whole season, didn’t tell anybody and I didn’t work for 14 months.”
Despite the apparent hard feelings over the dispute, Costner still says he’s willing to consider coming back for the final episodes.
“I’m very open to coming back,” Costner said. “If they’ve got so many other things going on, maybe this circles back and it’s a really cool two seasons. Or end it, if the writing’s there and I’m happy with it. I’m open to that. But I took a beating over these guys not speaking up for me and allowing crazy stories to come out. I’m not happy about that. But if the writing is there, I will be there too.”
“They had first position,” Costner said. “I didn’t do Horizon because I was tired of doing Yellowstone. That’s a bulls*** story. I didn’t do Horizon to compete with Yellowstone. This is something I’ve had a long time. Taylor read that script three years earlier when he was contemplating other writers [for Yellowstone]. I said, well, you can look at what John [Baird] and I did, not that I think I’m qualified. I think you write Yellowstone beautifully. So, he read that and knew what the thing was about. It’s just that simple: Paramount and 101 Studios mismanaged this. They had me for five, six, and seven. I agreed to do it. And then they steadily began changing their format.”
Does Kevin Costner want a say in the fate of John Dutton?
Beth talks to her father in Yellowstone.
Paramount Network
If Yellowstone fans were hoping for a good sign about Costner’s return to the show, this is it. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Costner expressed his desire to see Dutton as the author of his own fate.
“[Dutton] needs to be proactive in what happens and I’ve kind of had my own fantasy how [the character’s final arc] might be,” noted Costner. “But that’s Taylor’s thing. I said as much to him a while back. I had thoughts how it could happen, but we just have to see.”
Does this mean that Costner is coming back? Not quite. As noted above, the previous report in Puck suggests that Sheridan may be less than accommodating about changing his scripts for the remaining episodes of Yellowstone even if it means giving the show’s star one last sendoff. Regardless, Costner sounds hopeful about the situation.
“I’d like to be able to do it, but we haven’t been able to … I thought I was going to make seven [seasons] but right now we’re at five,” related Costner. “So how it works out — I hope it does — but they’ve got a lot of different shows going on. Maybe it will. Maybe this will circle back to me. If it does and I feel really comfortable with [it], I’d love to do it.”
Kevin Costner says goodbye to Yellowstone
The end of an era has arrived. While the writing was on the wall when Yellowstone season 5 resumed without a deal for Costner to return, the actor spent months praising the show in the press and expressing his willingness to return. Now, with episodes already being filmed, Costner has acknowledged that he’s done with with Yellowstone and won’t be coming back.
“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 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 5 or into the future,” said Costner on his Instagram account.
“I loved it and I know you loved it, and I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning,” Costner added. “I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop, and I’ll see you at the movies.”
How did Kevin Costner react to the fate of John Dutton?
Kevin Costner: Yellowstone, Horizon and more on The Michael Smerconish Program
Warning: There are spoilers ahead for the mid-season premiere of Yellowstone season 5.
Kevin Costner says he didn’t watch the first episode of Yellowstone season 5 part 2, but he told Michael Smerconish that he heard second hand what happened while appearing on SirusXM’s The Michael Smerconish Program.
“I heard it’s a suicide, so that doesn’t make me want to rush to go see it,” said Costner. Smerconish replied by saying that Costner’s character, John Dutton, didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would take his own life. Costner replied, “Well, they’re pretty smart people. Maybe it’s a red herring. Who knows? They’re very good. And they’ll figure that out.”
Costner also noted that he’s seen his face and footage of his character being used to promote the final episodes.
“I didn’t know it was actually airing last night,” said Costner. “That’s a swear to God moment. I swear to God. I mean, I’ve been seeing ads with my face all over the place and I’m thinking, ‘Gee, I’m not in that one.’ I’m not in this season. But I’ve been seeing, but I didn’t realize yesterday was the thing. … So no, I found out about it this morning actually.”
In the context of the show, John’s death was apparently staged as a suicide by an unknown hitman hired by Sarah (Dawn Olivieri), at the behest of her boyfriend — and John’s estranged adoptive son — Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley). Jamie claimed that they only spoke about killing John once, but that was apparently enough to spur Sarah into action. And this may be a tragedy that the Dutton family is unable to recover from, even as Jamie and his sister, Beth, fight each other for their own respective futures.
Does Kevin Costner’s new movie, Horizon: An American Saga, have any Yellowstone connections?
Horizon : An American Saga | In Theaters June 2024 and August 2024
Earlier this week, Kevin Costner debuted the trailer for his upcoming movie, Horizon: An American Saga. The movie, a passion project of the actor he personally financed, is set to debut in two parts later this year. Yellowstone fans couldn’t help but notice some similarities between the movie and the show: the Western setting; Costner’s role as a tough patriarch defending his land; and the giant cast of well-known character actors like Will Patton, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Rooker, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Luke Wilson, and many, many more.
Yet, while the movie shares many of the same themes with Yellowstone, it is not connected in any way with the hit show. The movie is set during the American Civil War, and does not chronicle the early years of Dutton clan like the spinoff shows 1883 and 1923 have recently. That hasn’t stopped fans of Yellowstone from gravitating toward the movie. Good Housekeeping reported that fans of the hit Paramount Network show can’t wait to see the movies, which makes sense given that Costner has long been the figurehead and main attraction of the long-running show.
