Yellowstone is officially coming to a close, but the Dutton Dynasty will live on.
The news that Yellowstone’s final episodes will air starting in November, which follows a protracted scheduling battle with star Kevin Costner, also includes the formal reveal that Paramount will be moving forward with a sequel to the most watched show across broadcast and cable television.
The new installment, which has been given a straight-to-series order, will have Yellowstone in its name, and, to the great relief of its Paramount Global overlords, will stream on Paramount+ and not Peacock, like its predecessor. The latter was the result of a 2020 streaming rights deal that even CEO Bob Bakish has described as “unfortunate.” It being a new entity, the still-untitled sequel is able to operate outside the confines of the NBCUniversal arrangement — and if the franchise’s other spinoffs, including 1883 and 1923, which already stream on Paramount+, are any indication, it’s poised to be another boon to the service, which now counts 60 million subscribers.
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Paramount is staying mum on any casting for the time being, though it’s been widely reported that Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey is in talks to star in the next iteration. What exactly his role will be and how it relates to the Duttons remains unknown. What is known: The series, from franchise mastermind Taylor Sheridan, is set to debut first on Paramount Network and later on Paramount+ this December, a lengthy writers strike notwithstanding. Sheridan, who has more than 10 projects in various stages of development or release at Paramount, is famously prolific and famously fast. Like the Yellowstone main series, his sequel will also be produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and David Glasser’s 101 Studios.
“Yellowstone has been the cornerstone on which we have launched an entire universe of global hits — from 1883 to Tulsa King, and I am confident our Yellowstone sequel will be another big hit, thanks to the brilliant creative mind of Taylor Sheridan and our incredible casts who bring these shows to life,” said Chris McCarthy, president and CEO Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, in a statement.
Added Glasser, who serves as the CEO of 101, “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.”
Costner, who is currently off shooting his Western passion project, Horizon, has reportedly refused to work more than a single week on the back half of what is now the show’s final season. In recent months, his co-stars have been tight-lipped about whatever behind-the-scenes drama was going on, with the main cast and Sheridan proving no-shows at April’s PaleyFest in Los Angeles. Now, without offering any insight into Costner’s level of participation, Paramount says the final cycle of the series will roll out in November. The previous cycle — or season 5A, as it’s been billed — continued to smash records, with the premiere garnering more than 17 million total viewers, an otherwise unfathomable number for a scripted cable series in the year 2023.
The news comes roughly a month and a half after McCarthy told The Hollywood Reporter that Yellowstone “wouldn’t be what it is today without Kevin and we hope that that stays for a long time to come.” At that time, McCarthy said Paramount was prepared to move forward with the spinoff regardless of whether Costner returned to the original. Whatever went on behind the scenes, having at least some version of Yellowstone still in the pipeline is a very good thing for a company that just reported dismal first-quarter earnings.
