Season 5 Recap, Kevin Costner’s Future and Ending Rumors

It’s been nearly two years since the Season 5 finale of Part 1 of “Yellowstone” — the latest episode of the massive Taylor Sheridan-created show — debuted on the Paramount Network on New Year’s Day 2023. Chances are you’ve forgotten some of the intricacies of Dutton —family feuds and the overall chaos that fuels “Yellowstone,” but never fear: Here’s a refresher on the events that unfolded in that finale, context of the behind-the-scenes events that led to Kevin Costner’s departure from the show — and information about the future of the series.

When we last left our cowboys…

During the first half of the season, audiences learned more about Rip (Cole Hauser) and his early days at Yellowstone. “A Knife and No Coin,” the final episode of the first half of Season 5, begins with another flashback featuring Young Rip (Kyle Red Silverstein) and Young John (Josh Lucas). They drop off Rowdy, a cowboy Rip killed after he talked inappropriately about Young Beth (Kylie Rogers), at the train station (aka disposing of his body), and Young John makes it clear that this now binds them forever: “You will be a part of this ranch until the day you die.” Young John also finds that Young Rip is nice to Young Beth himself, and offers some prophetic words – “The only time you fight to work for me is to protect someone who works for the ranch, or the the ranch. You’ll be surprised how much you have to fight. It surprises me.” — before Young Rip gets the Yellowstone badge!

We then check back in today with Jimmy (Jefferson White) who was largely absent during the season. Living at 6666 with his girlfriend Emily (Kathryn Kelly), he’s got some serious flare, dressing smartly to break horses while also finding time to cozy up to Emily after she’s done with her veterinary duties. These cowboy cuties are living the good life, but want the long-awaited “6666” spin-off series ever come from earth?

Meanwhile, at the Dutton ranch, Rip is ready to lead a group of cow bags to Texas to transport all their cattle and avoid an outbreak of the bacterial disease brucellosis. Beth (Kelly Reilly) says an emotional goodbye to Rip, but also says she’s flying out in a week to see him, so they’ll be fine – she’s rich and just wants to take a private jet out anytime, I’m sure of. A little more somber is Teeter (Jennifer Landon) leaving Colby (Denim Richards) behind, but she gives him a big kiss and says “I love you” so it’s a sweet moment.

Not so nice is Jamie (Wes Bentley), who, as Attorney General, approaches the Montana Legislature and Senate asking for a court that seeks to impeach his father, Montana Governor John Dutton (Costner). His reasoning? By canceling funding for the airport that Jamie had worked to herald, John violated state law, did not act in Montana’s best interest, opened it up to lawsuits, lost tax dollars and hurt tourism.

Hearing the news, Beth furiously goes to Jamie’s house, where she breaks in with a brick and then uses said brick to hit Jamie in the head. As he bleeds, she tries to blackmail him with pictures of him taking his biological father to the train station, but Jamie laughs it off and tells Beth that there are decades of corpses down there via John and Rip that would take the whole family down.

Still furious, Beth goes to John’s governor’s mansion, where she demands to know if the train station story Jamie told is true. When John confirms her suspicions, she is equally upset that she was not let in on the family secret, as well as the fact that her influence over her brother is now limited, so she asks her father if they should go Jamie even to the train station. He considers it and they have an inaudible conversation…shaking!

Ironically, at the same time, Jamie asks his love interest and fixer Sarah (Dawn Olivieri) if she knows any hitman service that could take care of Beth, since he knows she wants him dead. Sarah do know a guy! Oh no!

Meanwhile:

*John asks Monica (Kelsey Asbille) if she and Kayce (Luke Grimes) can move into a modest house in the East Camp of Yellowstone so that Kayce can tend the ranch while John rules in Helena. She agrees as she wants Yellowstone to be a legacy for their son Tate (Brecken Merrill).

*Summer (Piper Perabo) is still stuck at Dutton Ranch under house arrest instead of in Helena with John – awkward!

*Carter (Finn Little), Rip and Beth’s adopted son, is learning how to be a cowboy and how to flirt. Unfortunately, he seems to have more rizz with the farm animals than his potential love interest.

What was all the mid-season drama with Kevin Costner? Will he be in new episodes of the show?

There’s been plenty of jockeying since “Yellowstone” last aired, but basically: Costner and show creator Taylor Sheridan couldn’t get on the same page about shooting schedules.

Discussion of Costner’s reduced availability to shoot more “Yellowstone” first began in February 2023, when it was reported that Costner was not available for as many days as he had been in the past. In September 2023, while he was in court for his divorce case, it was revealed that he had moved around the filming of his four-part film series of “Horizon: An American Saga” to participate in the first part of the fifth season. Still, Costner said scripts for the second part of Season 5 weren’t available in time, so he wasn’t able to film them — but believes he’s still owed payment for the season, a case he said he could bring before the court.

That said, Costner discussed a potential return in April, saying, “I’d like to be able to do it.” He echoed the sentiment in June, saying: “I would love to come back under the right circumstances – I think we all would.” But later this month, he appeared to rule it out entirely, saying, “I just realized that I won’t be able to continue Season 5B or into the future.”

Is this the last season of “Yellowstone”? Isn’t a Matthew McConaughey spinoff coming?

Again, the answer is full of behind-the-scenes back and forth. Initial discussions of the show ending and another chapter beginning came with the first report of Costner leaving saying it would be “a new expansion of the ‘Yellowstone’ franchise that would feature more characters from the parent show with Matthew McConaughey in conversations with star.”

In May 2023, Paramount Network made the huge announcement that “‘Yellowstone’ is officially coming to an end, with the final episodes of the megahit Paramount Network series’ fifth season set to launch in November. Additionally, an untitled sequel series has been ordered and it will debut on the Paramount Network in December.”

However, in November 2023, it was announced that the episodes would be pushed back a year, and two spinoffs were mentioned: the historical “1944” and the contemporary “2024”.

In August 2024, “2024” was retitled “The Madison” and brought in Michelle Pfeiffer to star. The premise of the show involves “a New York City family in the Madison River valley of central Montana.”

Later that month, Black reported that a sixth season of “Yellowstone” proper, with Reilly and Hauser set to star, was being discussed — but nothing has been greenlit yet.

Meanwhile, two other previously announced chapters in the “Yellowstone” universe are still in the works: “1923,” the prequel starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, was renewed for a second season, and the “6666” spinoff is still in development.