Where the Yellowstone Universe Stands as Season 5 Ends

It's been almost two years since Paramount Network aired new episodes of Yellowstone, Taylor Sheridan and John Linson's Western drama starring Kevin Costner. That's not the norm for a show that once premiered a new season every year from 2018 through 2022. In that time, the show's ratings steadily climbed to new heights, each premiere breaking records for live and same-day viewing. As spin-offs were greenlit and Sheridan's empire expanded, Yellowstone cemented itself as the most-watched show on cable. And yet after airing the first half of its fifth season in early 2023, the show stalled. While it wasn't the only show to face delays resulting from last year's WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes , Yellowstone was further beset by scheduling conflicts and drama both before and after the Hollywood standstill.

But this Sunday, Nov. 10, Yellowstone is officially back at 8 p.m. ET, airing the first of six episodes that will close out the season and end this story (for the time being, at least). Unfortunately, Costner won't be featured, leaving the path forward somewhat unclear. Here's what to know about what happened last on Yellowstone—and what could happen next.

Read more: Is Yellowstone a Red-State Show? According to Fans, the Answer Is Complicated

Why isn't Kevin Costner returning? Costner is currently at work directing, producing, and starring in Horizon: An American Saga , his self-funded series of four planned epic westerns . (Both Chapter 1 and 2 premiered earlier this year, with Chapter 3 and 4 in production, despite reported challenges around financing.) Originally, it was reported that Costner might leave Yellowstone to focus on his passion project after the conclusion of Season 5, with some sources saying he even refused to finish filming the second half. But according to Costner, he always planned to come back to wrap up John Dutton's story if it worked with his schedule, possibly filming a sixth and even seventh season.

Reports emerged of a feud between Costner and Sheridan . From Costner's point of view, Sheridan was too busy with other projects to deliver the scripts in time to finish shooting Season 5 before filming for Horizon began. Costner, meanwhile, responded with a long list of demands including a pay increase and the right to veto any scripts from the season if necessary. As Sheridan told the Hollywood Reporter , "I've never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn't work out on the phone. But once lawyers get involved, then people don't get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren't true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting. ... I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it's a good one." Sheridan maintains that Costner's absence "doesn't alter" the conclusion of his character arc, though it does truncate it.

What happened last on Yellowstone? Much of the first half of Season 5 revolved around John Dutton's new role as governor of Montana, a job he took for the sole purpose of tanking Market Equities' new airport and commercial developments planned for his land. He did that with the help of his daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly), now his chief of staff, and his once-estranged attorney general son Jamie (West Bentley). John also enjoyed a lot of time at the ranch away from his seat in Helena, starting a romance with his new environmental advisor, animal rights activist, and general liberal stereotype Summer (Piper Perabo).

While John's other son Kayce (Luke Grimes) and his wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille) spent the season mourning the baby boy they lost, Beth and Jamie's rivalry heated up, with Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) manipulating the latter into calling for his own father's impeachment to help Market Equities. Now Beth wants Jamie dead—and based on his suggestion of hiring "professionals," he's ready to see his sister go, too.

Oh, also, Rip (Cole Hauser) and many of the ranch hands are headed to Texas with half the cattle to wait out the contamination brought to the ranch by some runaway Yellowstone buffalo.

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What will the final half-season focus on? The new trailer doesn't offer much insight into what we'll see in the final six episodes: it's mostly just the usual snippets of dialogue about protecting the family and protecting the ranch. Still, it's safe to say Beth and Jamie's civil war will be a big part of the season, and Kayce may be forced to pick a side.

It's also unclear how Costner will be written out of the show, though director Christina Voros recently described John's presence in these episodes as "integral." She was coy about what exactly that means—could Costner make an appearance (or appearances) after all, or will he just be a powerful unseen character hanging over everything? Many have called Yellowstone " Succession in the west ," and those comparisons are sure to continue with both shows' final seasons featuring an absent patriarch looming large.

What other Yellowstone spinoffs are in the pipeline? There remains speculation that Yellowstone could come back for a Season 6, with Hauser and Reilly reportedly in talks to continue their characters. Until then, though, there's a lot in the Yellowstone-verse to look forward to. Paramount+ has already aired a pair of prequel series focused on earlier generations of the Dutton family: 1883 (starring Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Sam Elliott) and 1923 (starring Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford). The latter of those still has a second and final season coming; it's currently filming. There's also a number of other planned shows in development, including a sequel to 1923 called 1944. 6666, which was announced back in 2021 and set up via Jimmy's (Jefferson White) Seasons 4 and 5 appearances at the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas, is currently on hold.

The biggest confirmed project coming up is The Madison, a sequel to the parent show that was originally announced as 2024: Michelle Pfeiffer is set to star as a wealthy matriarch who moves her family to Montana from New York City after her husband's death in a plane crash. As far as we know, there are no immediate plans to feature any Yellowstone characters in this one, but Patrick J. Adams, Elle Chapman, Matthew Fox, Beau Garrett, Amiah Miller, and Ben Schnetzer have already officially boarded the cast.