'Yellowstone' canceled: hit show will end with fifth season, get a sequel spin-off

Yellowstone, one of TV’s most popular shows, is officially ending this year after its fifth season concludes.

The news confirms rumors that the hugely successful modern-day Western would be ending after reported disputes with star Kevin Costner.

While the news will certainly come as a disappointment to fans, Yellowstone won’t be gone for good: a sequel series is also being developed and is set to debut right after the original ends.

Casting has not been confirmed, but earlier rumors suggested that Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey could be the new star, replacing Costner.

“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,” Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios said in a statement.

Yellowstone

Yellowstone premiered in 2018, and follows the saga of the Dutton family who own Montana’s largest ranch, the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. The neo-western drama depicts their conflicts with local developers and the bordering Native American reservation.

Its ensemble cast is led by Oscar-winner Kevin Costner, along with Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley and Cole Hauser.

The series has been a massive hit, gaining increasingly high ratings throughout its run. In 2022, it was reportedly the most-watched show on all of TV with an average of 16 million viewers.

The show’s popularity has led to two spin-offs on the streaming service Paramount+: 1883, starring Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Sam Elliott, and 1923, starring Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford.

But while Yellowstone has been one of TV’s biggest smash hits, the writing has been on the wall in recent months that the show — at least in its current form — could be ending soon.

Disputes with Kevin Costner

In February, sources from the show told Deadline that star Kevin Costner has been having disagreements over the show’s shooting schedule. Costner had reportedly originally limited himself to 65 days of shooting, but then only wanted to shoot for 50 days for the first part of the fifth season.

Costner also reportedly only wanted to spend a week of shooting for the second half of the season, causing disputes with co-creator Taylor Sheridan and his castmates.

Another source told the Daily Mail last month that Sheridan was to blame, suggesting the co-creator “developed a God complex” and told Costner to “stick to acting” when the actor raised concerns about the show’s direction.

“Kevin will forever be proud of and grateful for Yellowstone and the cast is like family to him,” the source said. “He just felt like Yellowstone is headed in a direction that was not in line with their initial vision and he was met with criticism, including that he should just stick to acting.”

Costner, an Oscar-winning actor and director known for Hollywood hits like Dances with Wolves, JFK and The Bodyguard, is by far the biggest name in the cast and surely drew in many of the show’s viewers. He also recently won a Golden Globe for his performance in Yellowstone.

The news of Yellowstone‘s end comes just days after Costner’s wife of 18 years filed for divorce.

The Deadline report suggested that showrunners were pursuing a sequel spin-off featuring Matthew McConaughey, that would possibly feature members of the original cast but not Costner.

While Yellowstone is coming to an end, fans can still look forward to the future sequel series, as well as the second season of prequel 1923. Taylor Sheridan also co-created two shows for Paramount: Tulsa King starring Sylvester Stallone and Mayor of Kingstown with Jeremy Renner.

It’s unfortunate that such a beloved hit series is being cut short, but it’s clear we haven’t seen the last of many of our favorite Yellowstone characters.

Please share this news with someone who watches Yellowstone!