‘Yellowstone’s Future Just Got Upended… Again md20

The future of Yellowstone is once again up in the air, as Taylor Sheridan’s game-changing new deal is set to shift Paramount’s media landscape. The second part of Yellowstone’s fifth and final season landed on streaming in 2024 after delays due to behind-the-scenes conflict involving star Kevin Costner, leading to his absence in the closing episodes. The results of the star’s departure were lower reviews, and generally unenthusiastic reactions to the conclusion of one of the century’s most popular shows.

Still, with updates in 2025, it seemed that creator Taylor Sheridan landed on his feet, not only with his broader TV empire, including shows like Mayor of Kingstown and the enormously successful Landman, but also with the Yellowstone franchise’s future. Despite the flagship show’s shortcomings, Yellowstone’s ever-growing list of spinoffs, including the highly-anticipated Rip and Beth sequel series, continues to prompt excitement.

On October 26, Puck revealed that Taylor Sheridan would be parting ways with Paramount, the studio that’s essentially given him the reins to write and develop his shows as he pleases for years. Sheridan has signed with NBCUniversal, a deal that’s set to be fully integrated in three years’ time, though he’ll start working on projects for the company as soon as 2026. This leaves Yellowstone’s fate entirely uncertain.

What Taylor Sheridan’s Move Means For ‘Yellowstone’ and Other Shows

Paramount+

As of now, the future of Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ projects remains unclear. It seems doubtful that he would be able to continue working on the various shows following the end of his 2028 Paramount contract, meaning there’s a limited window to develop the Yellowstone titles he’s planned. There’s a chance that his shows could move with him to NBCUniversal, which would be the best-case-scenario, though it seems unlikely Paramount would part with its cash cows. So, it’s probably worth considering the worst-case scenario for each project.

Going through his ongoing projects, the remainder of 2025 will see the rest of Tulsa King season 3, Mayor of Kingstown season 4, and Landman season 2. Despite commonly being associated with it, Sheridan is barely involved with Tulsa King, and Mayor of Kingstown is planning to end with its fifth season. Given the three-year time span, it seems unlikely that either of these shows would be affected by Sheridan’s departure.

Landman is much more up in the air, as 2024’s season 1 was one of Paramount’s most successful TV series launches yet. This show is massive, and though Taylor Sheridan’s writing is an instrumental part of its success, Paramount might not be interested in letting it go early. Taylor Sheridan could try to wrap up the story over the next few years, potentially getting another two or three seasons out of it if it continues at its current speed.

The Yellowstone shows are much more uncertain. The Madison is planned for a 2026 release, as is the procedural drama, Y: Marshals. Sheridan could run The Madison for just two or three seasons, keeping the story brief like previous Yellowstone spinoffs. Y: Marshals, on the other hand, could continue running for years, as it’s doubtful Sheridan was going to be too involved in the CBS drama.

The Beth and Rip spinoff is currently filming, so its future could be affected by the move, unless Sheridan runs it as a miniseries. Beyond that, projects that are still in pre-development stages, such as the long-rumored 6666 series and the Dutton-focused 1944, are much less likely to happen. Paramount will be left with the rights to these titles, and the company will have to decide if it wants to try and recreate Sheridan in the aggregate (Moneyball reference?) or move on and fill its content void with other options.

‘Yellowstone’ Fans Can’t Catch a Break

Paramount

This news is upsetting not only for Yellowstone fans, but for anyone who’s been able to rely on Paramount+ for consistent Taylor Sheridan TV over the past few years. His work fluctuates in quality, but it’s impossible to deny the efficiency in all these projects, as he’s one of the few creators offering annual release schedules for his titles. Still, Yellowstone fans have had it the worst these past few years, as the franchise blew its first and now might have blown its second chance at TV greatness.

The Kevin Costner drama, which recently had developments, has plagued Yellowstone for years, costing the series its lead actor and forcing the final episodes into a contrived narrative. Yellowstone was never going to be on the level of prestige family dramas Succession or The Sopranos, but it had the opportunity to establish a legacy as the 21st century’s premiere Western title. The spinoff shows would have been a chance to cement that image.

Building franchises is common in the 2020s, as practically every popular title in film or television gets the Marvel treatment, but achieving such success with an original Western IP is entirely unprecedented. No one can deny Taylor Sheridan’s accomplishments in terms of viewership and entertainment value, and this pivot to NBC is going to be a massive shifting point in his career. Unfortunately, upcoming Yellowstone spinoffs in the remainder of Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount deal might end up existing in a strange, limbo period separating two parts of his oeuvre.