Yellowstone is Paramount Network’s a Western drama series revolving around the Dutton family, the owners of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch—also known as the Yellowstone—the largest ranch in Montana. The show is led by Kevin Costner, who plays protagonist John Dutton III, a widowed, sixth-generation patriarch of the Dutton family who runs the ranch and defends it from those seeking control of his family’s land.
In November 2022, Deadline reported that Yellowstone was the most-watched television show of 2022 with almost 16 million viewers for the premiere of its fifth season, which was the most-watched season premiere of any cable television show since The Walking Dead in 2017.
In an interview with The New York Times in 2021, Yellowstone creator and executive producer, Taylor Sheridan, explained why he thought Yellowstone was such a success to audiences, despite its mixed reception from critics and award shows. “I don’t care if critics hate it and I don’t care if they like it. I’m not resentful. I just simply do not care,” he said. “I’m not making it for them; I’m making it for people who live that life. The audience has expanded beyond that because, you know, a lot of people love westerns. I think one of the reasons the critics haven’t responded to Yellowstone is that I’m breaking a lot of story rules. I’ll jump the plot ahead for no reason whatsoever except that I wanted to and it’s entertaining.”
He continued, “The people who get it eat it up, and the people that try to look at it with a critical eye see a mess. But that’s what I love about Yellowstone, the way that it flows from being campy to melodramatic to intensely dramatic to violent. It’s every old western and new western and soap opera thrown together in a blender. And yes, I think it infuriates and confounds some people who study storytelling. They don’t understand why this thing’s such a hit.”
But after five seasons, could Yellowstone be ending? Read on for what we know about if Yellowstone is ending after season 5 and if it’s canceled.
Is Yellowstone ending and canceled after season 5?
Is Yellowstone ending and canceled after season 5? The answer is yes, according to Deadline. The magazine confirmed in February 2023 that Yellowstone is ending and is set to be replaced by a new show with Matthew McConaughey as its new lead after filming issues with Kevin Costner, who has played protagonist John Dutton III since season 1 of Yellowstone aired in 2018.
Deadline reported that Yellowstone will end with the second half of season 5, which airs in the summer of 2023. The magazine also reported that the new Yellowstone will also air on Paramount Network before it becomes available to stream on Paramount Plus. Deadline also reported that Paramount Network isn’t as dependent on Yellowstone anymore after the success of its prequels, 1883 and 1923, on Paramount Plus, as well as its upcoming spinoff, 6666. Two Yellowstone limited series based on the Dutton Ranch in the 1940s and the 1960s are also in the works, according to Deadline.
A representative for Paramount Network, which airs Yellowstone, didn’t confirm or deny the report at the time. “We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come,” the representative told Deadline “Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner.”
Sources told The Hollywood Reporter in February 2023 that the second half of Yellowstone was also set to start filming in March 2023, however, the date was pushed due to the drama around Costner’s exit. Sources also confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Yellowstone is ending, but the show would not be “immediately” over after Costner leaves.