‘Yellowstone’ Final Episodes Moved To November 2024 Amid Actors’ Strike

 

Luke Grimes and Kevin Costner on ‘Yellowstone’

Courtesy of Paramount Network

Amid the Hollywood strikes and drama with the show’s lead Kevin Costner, Paramount has pushed back the final episodes of Yellowstone — again. Season five, part two of Yellowstone is now slated to air in November 2024, according to Variety.

In the announcement, Paramount also shared that it green lit two Yellowstone spinoff series, 1994 and 2024, both of which will be produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios.

The two new series join Yellowstone spinoffs 1883 (starring Faith Hill and Tim McGraw), 1923 (starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren) and Lawmen: Bass Reeves (starring on David Oyelowo) on Paramount Plus. 6666, set at the legendary Four Sixes Ranch in Texas, is still in development.
“Within five years, we grew ‘Yellowstone’ from a hit U.S. cable show with five million viewers into a global hit franchise with over 100 million fans around the world and multiple extensions – and, we’re just getting started,” said Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios, per Variety.

McCarthy continued: “On the heels of ‘1883’ and ‘1923’s’ success, our new planned spinoffs, ‘1944’ and ‘2024,’ will take audiences on a thrilling, new and unexpected journey with the complex and compelling storytelling that has become a hallmark of the franchise and has helped turn it into a worldwide cultural phenomenon – thanks to the creative mastermind of Taylor Sheridan.”

The news comes after the network announced in May 2023 that Yellowstone — created by Sheridan (Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown) — was ending after Season 5. The last season of Yellowstone had been divided into two parts. The initial eight episodes were broadcast between November 2022 and January 2023, while the remaining part of the season was scheduled for November 2023. However, the (now-resolved) writers’ and the ongoing actors’ strikes delayed production.

Forbes Daily: Join over 1 million Forbes Daily subscribers and get our best stories, exclusive reporting and essential analysis of the day’s news in your inbox every weekday.

By signing up, you agree to receive this newsletter, other updates about Forbes and its affiliates’ offerings, our Terms of Service (including resolving disputes on an individual basis via arbitration), and you acknowledge our Privacy Statement. Forbes is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

In May, Paramount also revealed that Yellowstone would be replaced by a sequel series starring Matthew McConaughey. We assume that the 2024 spinoff refers to the McConaughey-led series.

As for the show’s frontrunner Costner, who plays patriarch John Dutton III, it’s unknown whether he’ll be involved in the final episodes of the neo-Western drama.

Kevin Costner and Kelly Reilly on ‘Yellowstone.’

Courtesy of Paramount Network

During a child support hearing on September 1, 2023, Costner testified, according to People, that he left the show after being offered a sixth season because negotiations didn’t go to plan. He claims that he was offered less money and there were “creative” issues. Additionally, the 68-year-old actor said via court documents (obtained by Insider), that he is “no longer under contract” for the hit drama.

Costner has been busy working on his four-part feature film, Horizon, coming to theaters this summer. “Chapter 1” will be released on June 28, 2024, while “Chapter 2” will follow Aug. 16, 2024. “They’re all different films that all connect, so you’re watching a saga of these storylines that are happening,” he told Variety in 2022.

Yellowstone is Paramount Network’s modern-day Western drama that revolves around the Dutton family, owners of the largest ranch in Montana. The show follows the family’s struggles to protect their land from land developers, political rivals and other external threats. Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille and more also star.