With delays, cast drama and ongoing strikes, a lot remains unclear about the final season of hit western Yellowstone.
As the Dutton family and the cast of Yellowstone face uncertainties amid the hit series coming to an end, fans are also wondering not just what to expect in the final season but when they can expect it. But it looks like between the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, casting issues and more, we might want to hold our horses…
One of the biggest problems facing the final season of Yellowstone stems directly from those strikes, as creator Taylor Sheridan had yet to complete the scripts. Of course, even if they were done, the SAG-AFTRA strike would prevent any filming from taking place until that gets resolved. Still, The Hollywood Reporter remains hopeful that the last set of episodes will air sometime next year. As for how many episodes there will be, while it was originally planned that there would be six (compared to the first part’s eight, which concluded in January), Sheridan says he has the freedom over at Paramount to make as many episodes as he needs to.
But how much will Kevin Costner be involved in the final season of Yellowstone, especially if more episodes get tacked on? Yellowstone made more headlines than ever when it was revealed that Costner wanted to put in fewer hours during the final season partly so he could focus on his passion project Horizon: An American Saga. Once it was out that Costner would officially be leaving the ranch, word came that the show itself would not be returning after its fifth season. While we wait for the last set of episodes, CBS announced that Yellowstone re-runs would be part of their Sunday night schedule this fall, hopefully holding fans over until we get more concrete answers.
But don’t think that the final season of Yellowstone will mark the conclusion to the expanded universe, as there are still a lot of projects to lasso up, including an upcoming sequel series starring Matthew McConaughey. No word yet on what the series will involve, but you can be sure that John Dutton won’t be tipping his hat – both because of Costner and, come on, Dutton has to die in Yellowstone, right?
What do you expect to see in the final season of Yellowstone? Which character(s) do you think won’t make it out alive? Let us know!
