Following Season 5, Part 2, the future of Yellowstone is up in the air, and many wonder if Season 6 could happen.
Yellowstone writer and creator Taylor Sheridan initially planned on the series lasting for seven seasons, but after the departure of Kevin Costner, plans changed. Now, fans have no idea what to expect regarding the future.
Some reports have maintained that Yellowstone will end with Season 5, but others predict the show will continue.
Is There a Yellowstone Season 6 Release Date?
As of writing, Paramount or series creator Taylor Sheridan has not confirmed Yellowstone Season 6. In fact, no official statement has been released regarding the series' future.
Therefore, there is no release date for Season 6 of the modern Western.
In the early stages of Season 5's development, when Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan were at odds, it was reported that Yellowstone would end with Season 5 and that a sequel series would take its place.
Specifically, The Hollywood Reporter revealed this information in May 2023, telling fans that the sequel series would have Yellowstone somewhere in the title and that it would stream on Paramount+. News was also swirling that Matthew McConaughey would lead the sequel series.
At the time, that may have been the plan for the future of the Yellowstone franchise, but it is not anymore.
A Yellowstone sequel series is on the way, but it will be in the form of The Madison and will not star McConaughey at all. Instead, it will be led by Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Fox and will reportedly include some of Yellowstone's biggest stars.
However, a release date has not yet been announced for that upcoming show, meaning Paramount and Sheridan may have other plans for Yellowstone before moving forward with The Madison.
According to reports, The Madison will premiere in 2025, but that could change, especially since Paramount has not released an official statement about the series.
It is also worth noting that none of the marketing for Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2 has billed it as the final season. Even in the latest episode released as of writing, Season 5, Episode 13 (the penultimate episode), the teaser for the finale called it the season finale and not the series finale.
If the Season 5 finale did end the show, it would make sense for Paramount to market it as a major series finale that everyone needs to tune into. Instead, it is being played more of a season finale.
Does The Madison Mean Yellowstone Can't Continue?
Just because a Yellowstone sequel series is coming out does not mean the flagship show can't continue.
Matthew Belloni reported that some of Yellowstone's biggest names (Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, and Luke Grimes) were closing deals to return in the sequel series. Some of those stars, such as Hauser and Ian Bohen, also publicly talked about wanting the story to continue.
Still, the synopsis of the upcoming show doesn't make a lot of sense to include Yellowstone characters.
It is unclear what will happen at the end of Yellowstone Season 5, but it seems the ranch will be sold, likely to the Native American Reservation.
The Madison River Valley, the setting for The Madison, is extremely close to Yellowstone National Park, Bozeman and nearly every other location featured in Yellowstone, so it is possible that the Duttons could buy another ranch nearby.
However, it is possible that Yellowstone could continue for a couple more seasons, fulfilling Sheridan's original idea to run for seven seasons and still air alongside The Madison. As many shows do in today's age, they could easily cross over.
Fans will have to wait for official word from Paramount before anything can be known for certain. However, at this point, Yellowstone is as close to being continued for Season 6 as it is to ending with Season 5.
With so many conflicting reports, it is impossible to predict what will happen accurately, both in the show and behind the scenes.
Yellowstone is streaming on Peacock, and the Season 5 finale will premiere on Sunday, December 15 at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount Network.
