Dutton gluttons will have to wait another year for their favorite TV family to saddle up on “Yellowstone.”
The second half of Season 5 of “Yellowstone,” Paramount Network’s hit ranching drama, won’t return until November 2024, the network announced.
It’s still unclear if Kevin Costner, who said in September that he “concluded his work” on the series in 2022, will actually appear as patriarch John Dutton in some capacity.
According to court documents related to his divorce from ex-wife Christine Baumgartner, the actor’s legal team also stated he “is not involved in any future episodes” of the show.
The long “Yellowstone” delay is part and parcel of the WGA strike (now settled) and the SAG-AFTRA strike (still ongoing), which put production on hold for nearly every TV series (and movie) since it began July 14.
The “Yellowstone” drama also encompasses Costner and series co-creator Taylor Sheridan, who have reportedly been feuding for a while now, leaving a big question mark as to Costner’s fate on cable’s biggest hit in years.
Costner has also been filming a two-part Western movie, “Horizon,” cutting into the time he can devote to “Yellowstone,” further muddying the production waters.
Season 5 of “Yellowstone” premiered to 12.1 million viewers last November and the season averaged a whopping 17 million viewers over its eight-episode run.
The second half of Season 5 will comprise six episodes.
Even though it hasn’t seen a new episode released in quite some time, “Yellowstone” is still creating a ratings stir. CBS has been airing “Yellowstone” repeats — starting from Season 1 — on Sunday nights, averaging 5.5 million viewers each week.
Paramount, meanwhile, has given the green light to two new spinoffs, prequel series “1944” and a contemporary series, “2024,” reportedly starring Matthew McConaughey.
They will join current spinoffs “1923,” starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, and “1883,” which aired for one season with stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
“Within five years we grew ‘Yellowstone’ from a hit US cable show with five million viewers into a global franchise with over 100 million fans around the world and multiple extensions,” said Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios.
McCarthy added, “On the heels of ‘1883’ and ‘1923’s’ success, our new planned spinoffs … will take audiences on a thrilling, new and unexpected journey with the complex and compelling storytelling that has become a hallmark of the franchise.”
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