A new report says that season 6 is actually on the table—presumably in addition to The Madison.
Disregard all you previously believed to be true about Yellowstone’s prospects. The prolonged speculation over potential spinoffs, sequels starring Matthew McConaughey, and Kevin Costner’s departure after season five? All of that is now past. Matthew Belloni of Puck has reported that Yellowstone Season 6: Everything We Know is now being considered by Paramount.
Variety confirmed the story, including new information that fan-favorites Kelly Reilly (Beth Dutton) and Cole Hauser (Rip Wheeler) are currently in talks to return. Paramount has yet to comment on the rumors. Just last week, the network announced a sequel series titled The Madison, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Lost’s Matthew Fox. That news had already opened a can of worms regarding Yellowstone’s future. Now? Anything’s possible. Hell, maybe Kevin Costner can come back at Yellowstone Season 6: Everything We Know.
For everything we know about Yellowstone season 6, read on below at Yellowstone Season 6: Everything We Know.
Will There Be a Season 6 of Yellowstone?
Apparently, yes! Paramount had previously announced that season 6 was scrapped in favor of a sequel series, which would reportedly star Matthew McConaughey. For whatever reason, McConaughey never officially signed on to the project and/or Paramount moved in another direction. The network is now eyeing select Yellowstone cast members (not named Kevin Costner) to return for another season. Season 6 will likely run in conjunction with the new spinoff series, The Madison, with Pfeiffer and Fox. The spinoff is set to take place in the same universe as Yellowstone but follow an entirely new family named the Clyburns. Series creator Taylor Sheridan is reportedly also working on another prequel spinoff set in 1944 at Yellowstone Season 6: Everything We Know.
What About Kevin Costner Returning?
Of course, continuing Yellowstone past season 5B—which is set to premiere this November—very much complicates Sheridan’s reported feud with Costner at Yellowstone Season 6: Everything We Know. The series was originally set to conclude without its leading patriarch and end the Dutton saga later this year. Now the actor’s behind-the-scenes battle with Sheridan over filming schedules and contracts is more confusing than ever before at Yellowstone Season 6: Everything We Know.
Though the actor has stated that he will not appear in Yellowstone’s final episodes, the season 5B episodes are potentially no longer the end of the series. Even worse, part of Costner’s contract dispute revolved around the actor’s claim that he was supposed to get paid for a potential season 6 and season 7 of Yellowstone, which the network made moot when they decided to end the series after season 5B. That’s no longer the case.
Earlier this year, Puck also reported that Costner’s team was actually “still asking that Sheridan bring him back to finish his arc.” Though Costner will not appear in season 5B, continuing the series into season 6 would provide Paramount with more time to work out a new deal with the actor at Yellowstone Season 6: Everything We Know. Then the network could either finish off his character’s story on-screen or even keep him involved with the show. We just need Paramount to officially tell us WTF is going on!
Okay, So Where Does the Story Even Go from Here?
Everyone in the Dutton family was getting ready to kill each other when we last left them. Jamie (Wes Bentley) thinks about impeaching his father in the midseason finale in order to obtain his governorship and ultimately exact retribution. However, before Jamie can initiate contact, the argument escalates violently between John (Costner) and Beth (Kelly Reilly). After threatening to finish the job anytime she pleases, Beth breaks into Jamie’s house and bashes her brother’s head in with a rock. At Yellowstone Season 6: Everything We Know, Jamie then muses on killing himself. For some of our series leads, the conflict is probably going to get much more brutal when Yellowstone finally returns.
Basically, season 5B’s plot is the perfect way to kill off any character whose actor didn’t sign a new contract to continue with Yellowstone. Namely, Costner. At the same time, Bentley hasn’t been mentioned in rumors to return either. We’ve only seen reports about Reilly, Houser, and Luke Grimes (Kayce) so far, meaning that all three of their characters will likely survive the events of season 5B. It remains unknown how Yellowstone will handle John Dutton’s death, but it’s possible that the Dutton family patriarch dies off-screen, since he’s not set to return for the final episodes at Yellowstone Season 6: Everything We Know. It might not feel right for Yellowstone fans, but a quick, unseen death may be the easiest way for the series to move on.