‘Yellowstone’ Officially Canceled With Sequel Series to Follow

Yellowstone has officially been canceled at Paramount Network. Following months of back-and-forth reports regarding the future of Taylor Sheridan’s Kevin Costner-led hit drama, Paramount announced Friday that Yellowstone will conclude with its fifth and final season, the second half of which is set to debut later this year. The company also confirmed that a sequel series is in the works.

Friday’s news, first reported by Deadline, means that Yellowstone fans only have a handful of episodes left. The series is currently in the midst of its fifth season, which is now confirmed to be the last. Currently on a midseason hiatus, the second half of Season 5 is set to premiere in November. It is unclear if the final Yellowstone scripts have been written, and given the current Writers Guild of America strike, it is possible that the premiere date for the remaining Season 5 episodes could be pushed back.

Co-created by Sheridan alongside John Lindon, Yellowstone debuted in June 2018 and stars Costner as John Dutton, a sixth-generation patriarch of the Dutton family who owns the largest ranch in the United States. Along with Costner, Yellowstone also stars Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Kelsey Asbille, Luke Grimes, Cole Hauser, Brecken Merrill, Jefferson White, Forrie Smith, Denim Richards, Ian Bohen, Finn Little, Ryan Bingham, and Gil Birmingham. The series has been a massive success, with the Season 5 premiere shattering ratings records in all demographics and drawing in 12.1 million live-plus-same-day viewers, marking the biggest premiere for the show.

While Yellowstone is ending, it is certainly not the end for Sheridan’s growing TV empire. Yellowstone served as a launch pad for the Paramount+ series Mayor of Kingstown and the Yellowstone prequel 1883. A second prequel, 1923, was also ordered. Deadline reported Friday that another spinoff, which will be the first offshoot in the Yellowstone universe to carry the mothership series’ moniker, has been ordered. The series will run on Paramount Network, the home of Yellowstone, and then on Paramount+, but further details have yet to be announced. Deadline previously reported that Matthew McConaughey had been in talks for the project, and it seems the actorremains in negotiations to star. According to Deadline, the series will likely feature a handful of original Yellowstone cast members, with several having reportedly recieved offers, though it is likely such offers may not get finalized until Sheridan writes the scripts. Speaking on the new series, Chris McCarthy, President & CEO Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, said, “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.”

The rest of Yellowstone Season 5 is set to air later this year. The first four seasons are available to stream on Peacock. Meanwhile, the prequel shows 1883 and 1923 are streaming on Paramount+.