Fans eager to see how things shake out for the Dutton family will have to wait at least a year. Barring any delays, the second half of Yellowstone Season 5 is set to premiere in November 2024, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Paramount had split the fifth season, which will be the last for the hit neo-western drama, into two installments. The first eight episodes of the season aired in November 2022.
The final episodes had originally been scheduled to air later this year, but the writers and actors strikes delayed production. There was also a ton of behind-the-scenes drama involving series star Kevin Costner, who plays the family patriarch John Dutton.
One of the biggest questions fans will have heading into the final episodes of Yellowstone is just how involved Costner's character will be. Although a central figure to the show, there's a chance the series could end without John Dutton appearing in the final episodes.
There were reports of scheduling conflicts and creative disagreements between Costner and the show's creators that ultimately led to the star's departure from the series. The studio's decision to split the fifth season into two parts reportedly impacted Costner's ability to direct his own Western epic, Horizon: An American Saga, which is scheduled for theatrical release next year.
When speaking during his divorce proceedings in recent months, Costner also claimed that the studio was looking to pay Costner less for the final episodes. Creative differences also played a role in his decision to leave the series.
"We did negotiate," he explained. "There were issues about creative. I tried to break the log jam. They walked away."
So for now, it's unclear if Costner will appear in any of the episodes, although it doesn't sound likely. That said, Yellowstone is one of the most popular shows on television with a star-studded cast that fans are heavily invested in. If Costner does not appear in any of the final episodes, it will be interesting to see how the showrunners decide to write off the character as Costner reportedly as a "moral death" clause in his contract that could determine the fate of John Dutton.
Although it's sad to see Yellowstone come to an end — especially without Kevin Costner — there are multiple spin-offs in the works. In announcing the Season 5 Part 2 release window, Paramount Network also confirmed two more additional spin-offs: a present-day story with a working title of 2024 and another prequel series, titled 1944, which will follow the two previous sequels 1883 and 1923.