Everything We Know About a Potential Yellowstone Season 6

The future of Yellowstone Season 6 has been shrouded in uncertainty and mystery. Paramount once made it clear that the show wouldn’t return for another season, and the door remained shut until Season 5 B’s promotional material started sending mixed signals to fans, hinting that the series finale might not even be in Season 5. Meanwhile, reports about potential spinoffs and cast returns have flooded fans, but hardly anything is confirmed.

1923 is returning for another season to tackle the Dutton family’s history. At one point, the spinoff series The Madison was a direct sequel to Yellowstone. However, the story’s change of direction in focusing on a new family leaves the Dutton family’s post-Yellowstone fate in the air. With the rumor that a Beth and Rip spinoff could potentially pick up where Season 5B left off, many fans wonder what Yellowstone’s future looks like now that the Season 5 finale is out.

Season 6 of Yellowstone Will Look a Little Different

Kevin Costner Is Gone, but the Dutton Name Is Still Alive

Yellowstone ended with Season 5B, with Paramount’s previous announcement in 2023 revealing they had scrapped the sixth season. In exchange, the network plans on going forward with a sequel series. In the statement, David Classer, CEO of 101 Studios, confirmed that “the Dutton story continues” in “another epic tale,” which would pick up right where Yellowstone left off. There have been many different reports after Season 6’s initial cancelation. Matthew McConaughey was reportedly going to headline a sequel titled 2024, which was later retitled The Madison, following a different family. The sequel stars Michelle Pfeiffer in the lead role as Stacy Clyburn, along with Beau Garrett, Patrick J. Adams, Elle Chapman, Amish Miller, Alaina Pollack, Rebecca Spence, Kevin Zegers, Ben Schweitzer, and Danielle Vasinova, among others.

How McConaughey would fit into the project is a mystery, leaning toward the fact that he’s not in it. Still, there was a time when McConaughey’s involvement in a Yellowstone sequel seemed like a done deal. In a Hollywood Reporter profile on Taylor Sheridan, the show’s creator revealed they were “in late-stage negotiations” with McConaughey for a sequel, in which the actor seemed “a natural fit.” Although, the actor never confirmed his involvement in the project. The updates on a sequel with McConaughey went nowhere, and the finale of Yellowstone 5B in late 2024 also changed the course of the franchise.

Yellowstone 5B wasn’t billed as the series finale in the promotional material, leading to many thinking that the main show could return for another season despite the previous cancelation. The teaser trailer for Season 5B used wording such as “season finale” instead of series finale, leaving the door open for the show. It seems Paramount didn’t rule out the possibility of the show’s return. Meanwhile, the network is busy eying cast members for Yellowstone-related projects that would continue the Dutton story (with The Madison seemingly moving more into the direction of a spinoff rather than a direct sequel). Although, it seems pretty clear now that Yellowstone won’t have a sixth official season. What there will be, instead, is a spinoff sequel series following Rip and Beth after they acquire a new ranch following the sale of the Yellowstone land. This new show might not be a sixth season per se, but it continues the Dutton’s legacy and might include cameos from the other show.

The Yellowstone Story Continues

Gil Birmingham Feels There Are a Lot of Stories to Tell Yet from Yellowstone

The Dutton family patriarch’s death kicked off Yellowstone Season 5B with a mystery. The last batch of episodes ties up Dutton’s multi-generational story in the Yellowstone franchise. A deal between Kayce (Luke Grimes) and Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) settles the ranch’s fate and honors the agreement made by Jamie Dutton and the Indigenous Americans centuries ago in 1883. When James and his wife Margaret settled in Montana, they agreed to return the land to the Indigenous Americans in seven generations. Yellowstone Season 5 B’s finale sees Yellowstone Ranch becoming part of the Native American Reservation. At the same time, Beth avenges her father’s death.

Grimes previously discussed his return for a potential Season 6 with Esquire, though he didn’t think it’d make sense for the mothership to continue. The actor admitted that if the network chose to continue Yellowstone, he’d “do it.” However, with the way Season 5B left things, he didn’t think another season would work out so well with Kayce’s character arc ending. He said:

I’d do it. I just don’t understand how it would work once the story ends. Kayce wants to cowboy and be happy with his family. He doesn’t want to kill people anymore. He doesn’t want the weight of a huge mega ranch that isn’t sustainable in today’s times. He wants his little slice of heaven. It’s that simple.

Still, it’s hard to imagine Grimes not making at least a cameo in Beth and Rip’s spinoff. Kayce’s story arc seems to have ended, with him living peacefully with Tate and Monica. Still, the family could visit or help the other Duttons occasionally, especially if Grimes is willing to reprise his character. Beth and Kayce live in Montana, so it’s not a long trip.

Birmingham, on the other hand, felt that the story of Yellowstone was far from finished. The Dutton family has been taking care of the land and the ranch for generations. With the family ranch now part of the Native American reservation, a new opportunity has opened up, which would allow the audience to see more of the Indigenous side of the story. Speaking about the treaty Kayce and Rainwater agreed on, the actor believes Thomas would honor the deal “out of respect” in an interview with ScreenRant. He hoped the story in Yellowstone would continue, showing more engagement between the Duttons and the reservation, especially with Tate being part of both groups. “He’s coming from both worlds,” the actor said. With Yellowstone 5B coming to a complete cycle for the Duttons since Elsa’s death in 1883, the show could bring forth a new beginning. Birmingham said, “The holding of the land was on one side, the Duttons, and now the holding on the land is on his other side, so it’ll be an interesting, growing-up experience for him.”

Since Yellowstone 5 B’s release, many spinoff ideas have been floating around among the fandom, with one being a potential Broken Rock spinoff. Gil Birmingham has shared his excitement about the potential opportunity to dive deeper into his character. “Taylor’s always been very close to the vest about any thoughts that he has about it,” the actor told ScreenRant. “I don’t know, maybe that makes it even more exciting because it lends itself to trust, you know?” Birmingham places his trust in Sheridan’s vision of whether to continue Yellowstone with a Native story. He said:

And, yeah, plenty of people have suggested that [a Broken Rock spinoff], and I think it would be a wonderful world of exploring the Rainwater-Mo world, now being the reverse scenario of the keeper of the land, as opposed to the legacy of the Dutton family.

Paramount Has Confirmed a Rip and Beth Spinoff

Cole Hauser and Kelly Riley Will Keep the Dutton Legacy Alive

Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser) bought a new ranch outside Dillon, Montana, and their story will continue in a spinoff. The rumor about Beth and Rip taking the lead in Duttons’ story post-Yellowstone 5B has been around for quite some time. There were reports of them rumored to return for a sixth season, but a spinoff is the way to go. Deadline reported in August 2024 that MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios were negotiating a deal with Reilly and Hauser. In December, Deadline reported that the studios had closed deals with both actors to lead a spinoff series where they’d reprise their roles in the Yellowstone universe. The report also claimed that the spinoff series would be the first to carry “Yellowstone” in the title.

While many remained doubtful about the report, Reilly recently cleared things up on her social media. In an Instagram post about her time as Beth in Yellowstone, the actor replied to a fan’s comment about the rumor of Beth and Rip’s project, confirming that it’s “True” they will come back for a spinoff series. The fan commented, “So is the rumour in the UK that you and Rip are making a spinoff season not true! Whatever happens, I’ve loved every second of every episode in every season. You guys are all amazing!!” Reilly replied, “True” with a white heart emoji.

Today, the series has become more and more of a done deal. Variety published that sources close to the production confirmed the spinoff. The series will continue to be part of the Paramount franchise, with the Yellowstone brand maintaining its original streaming service. However, Paramount representatives declined any comments to Variety. There is still no information about the future of Beth, her husband, and Carter, or the focus of the series, but the actors will return. It could take place years in the future or immediately after the end of Yellowstone. Surely, the series will take more time to delve into flashbacks to develop these characters, as Taylor Sheridan likes to reflect on the past.

The Yellowstone Franchise Is Far From Finished

The Yellowstone Universe Will Keep Expanding Through Several Spinoffs

Taylor Sheridan may have completed the Yellowstone story as he always envisioned despite the change of plans with Kevin Costner’s departure after Season 5A. However, there’s still more to explore in this universe. The series executive producer, Christina Alexandra Voros, revealed in an interview with Variety that though she “never had a specific conversation” with Sheridan, she had “secondhand” knowledge from Sheridan’s conversations with the cast that the original plan for “the ultimate ending” was always to be “the loss of the patriarch and passing on the legacy,” which Yellowstone 5B still managed to achieve in the absence of Kevin Costner.

It sounds like Season 5B is the endgame for Yellowstone’s original series, but fans can still expect a lot from these characters and the Dutton family in general. With the Taylor Sheridan universe rapidly expanding, with multiple spinoffs, prequels, and sequels at various stages of development, it’s clear that the story of Yellowstone is far from over. The uncertainty around the right way forward is likely the cause of the confusion. However, it seems clear that spinoffs are the way to go post-Yellowstone, at least for now.

Every Yellowstone Spinoff Series

From 1883 to the 6666 Series, There’s a lot Coming from the Yellowstone Universe

While there might not be a season 6 of Yellowstone, fans of the franchise will still have plenty of material. The beginning of The Yellowstone Ranch started in 1883, a one-season series that premiered in 2021 and is also streaming on Paramount+. With Tim McGrawth playing James Dutton, the series follows James, his daughter Elsa, wife Margaret, and son John Dutton I as they travel with a German caravan led by Sam Elliot’s Shea Brennan, trying to get to Oregon. This show will establish the main conflicts in Yellowstone and give viewers insight into the Dutton family.

However, the fight for the land begins in 1923, the sequel to 1883. With Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren leading the cast, 1923 follows Jacob and Cara Dutton taking care of the Dutton land as a greedy banker craves their ranch and the winter threatens to take everything from them. At the same time, James’ youngest son, Spencer, makes a trip from Africa to join his family in the battle. The series is also streaming on Paramount+, with the second season currently airing every Sunday.

In an interview with Deadline in 2022, Taylor Sheridan said he only needed two episodes to wrap up the story of 1923, but given the show’s success, anything could happen. Either way, an immediate sequel is already in production, 1944. With 1923 still airing, it makes sense that there isn’t much information about 1944 yet, but it’s a direct sequel. Still, fans expect to see Spencer and Alexandra living a happy life on the Yellowstone ranch. This series will likely follow the life of John Dutton III’s father, as it will occur 15 years before the birth of Yellowstone’s patriarch.

In the meantime, a series set in the present is also on its way for those craving the modernity of the cowboy life portrayed in Yellowstone. Led by Michelle Pfeiffer and Patrick J. Adams, The Madison will follow the McIntosh family as they move from New York to live by the Madison River in central Montana. This story would have the opposite view of Yellowstone, giving people another perspective on the land conflict and cowboy lifestyle.

On its way is the Beth and Rip spinoff, which is still unnamed but will follow the next generation of the Dutton family. At the same time, Taylor Sheridan also spoke about a 6666 spinoff focusing on Yellowstone’s Jimmy (played by Jefferson White), who worked there last season. In the 6666, Jimmy becomes a true cowboy, finds love, and returns with his wife, Emily, after saying goodbye to his Yellowstone family.