The future of Yellowstone is confusing everyone as it has not been confirmed if the series will receive a Season 6, or if it ended with the Season 5 finale.
Yellowstone returned in record-breaking fashion on November 10 with Season 5, Part 2, which revealed that John Dutton had died offscreen.
From that premiere until the Season 5 finale, other characters died, overarching storylines were wrapped up, and fans still didn't know if the most popular Western project in modern history would ever return.
Is Yellowstone Over?
As of writing, neither Paramount nor Taylor Sheridan has confirmed whether or not Yellowstone will return for Season 6, but the events that occurred in the finale alluded to one over the other.
Before the release of Season 5, Part 2, some reports indicated that it would absolutely be the final season of Yellowstone, while others stated that Season 6 was being planned. However, once the first trailer for the season was released, it was marketed as the epic return of the show and was just simply called Season 5.
As the episodes progressed, nothing changed. When Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 13 ended and Paramount Network gave viewers a sneak peek at Episode 14, it was called the Season 5 finale instead of the series finale. That indicated that the show could move forward with a Season 6.
However, Deadline recently reported that Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser (Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler) inked new deals to return to the Yellowstone franchise as their respective characters, but in a completely different sequel series instead of the flagship show.
The report also stated that other characters who were in Yellowstone will make an appearance and that it will be the only spin-off to include the word "Yellowstone" in the title.
It is also important to note that, in the Season 5 finale, every character and storyline from Yellowstone was given closure as if it were a series finale. The Yellowstone Ranch is not even owned by the Duttons anymore, so there isn't much of a story to tell regarding the main show anymore.
The events from the Season 5 finale coupled with the report that Reilly and Hauser will be in a new upcoming show point to Yellowstone truly being over.
It is also worth mentioning the upcoming Yellowstone spin-off starring Michelle Pfeiffer called The Madison that is set to premiere in 2025. Its existence also points to Season 5 being the end of Yellowstone.
What Will Happen Next After Season 5 Finale?
If the reports are true, and a new Yellowstone series is in the works that will essentially continue the flagship show with Rip and Beth as the main characters, fans can expect it to be like watching Yellowstone Season 6 without some of the main characters.
For example, Kayce and his family likely won't have much of a role in that series since they still live on the Yellowstone Ranch (but he will still appear), and characters like Ryan and Teeter are now not even in the state of Montana, so they probably won't show up either.
However, Lloyd told Rip in the Season 5 finale that he wouldn't work anywhere other than the Yellowstone, so it is possible that Lloyd could show up at Beth and Rip's ranch for a special appearance.
It is unclear what the major conflict could be for a series like that, but fans can expect it to be filled with Western drama and be more focused on Beth and Rip than Yellowstone ever was.
Yellowstone Seasons 1-5a are streaming on Peacock.
Find out when Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2 could begin streaming.
