'Yellowstone' Is Not Ending, After All

By Dustin Rowles | TV | August 27, 2024 |

Though we all assumed that Yellowstone would finally come to a conclusion after the second half of season five (which will air nearly two years after the first part) because Kevin Costner had left the series, it appears that Yellowstone may continue to live on beyond Costner (B.C.). According to Puck, Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser — who play the daughter and son-in-law of Costner’s John Dutton — are negotiating their sixth-season contracts under the expectation that they will become the de facto leads.

This makes sense. Kevin Costner certainly brought viewers to the front door of Yellowstone, but he was hardly the main draw by the third or fourth season. Reilly and Hauser were probably the most beloved characters, although I had plenty of affection for Luke Grimes’ Kayce Dutton, as well (the writers, unfortunately, basically assassinated Wes Bentley’s character, and they wrote Kelsey Asbille’s Monica into the show’s most annoying character).

Cole Hauser could easily step into Costner’s role on the ranch — he essentially inhabited it. I suspect the show will still need another big presence, so I won’t be surprised if they bring in a slightly-past-their prime television star to take on the role as villain.

In the meantime, the first contemporary spin-off, The Madison, continues its production. It will premiere after the season five finale of Yellowstone. It stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Patrick J. Adams, and Matthew Fox. Another Yellowstone spin-off, 1923 with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, is currently shooting its second season in Texas. No one seems to have any idea what happened to Jefferson White’s Texas-set spin-off, 6666, but with another Taylor Sheridan series, Billy Bob Thornton’s Landman, on the horizon, they really should just rename Paramount+ the Taylor Sheridan Streaming Network, especially now that Evil has been cancelled.