Taylor Sheridan Says ‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 Could Have More than Six Episodes Once It Returns
“Yellowstone” fans are dealing with a news drought these days. The paucity of information on when, or even if, the Western drama will return for the final half of its fifth season has caused great anxiety among the fan community, and the uncertainty has been exasperated by the writers’ strike.
Series co-creator and multihyphenate talent Taylor Sheridan spoke in-depth about the situation with The Hollywood Reporter. The interview featured some fascinating insights, but perhaps none more important to viewers than the news that “Yellowstone” Season 5, Part 2 is still on the way; in fact, it could be a bit longer than originally planned.
Originally, the season had been slated to consist of 14 episodes, with the first eight wrapping up in Jan. 1, 2023. Then, the back part of the season was supposed to kick off its six-episode run this summer. However, reported disagreements between Sheridan and series lead Kevin Costner, as well as Sheridan’s increasingly busy schedule, contributed to production being pushed back. To date, the scripts for the remaining Season 5 episodes have not been completed, which has given the series creator the chance to expand if need be.
“If I think it takes 10 episodes to wrap it up, they’ll give me 10,” Sheridan said. “It’ll be as long as it needs to be.”
For now, Sheridan is dutifully pencils-down in support of his fellow striking writers. But the news that Season 5 will get an ending — and that the ending might be longer than fans originally anticipated — must be a tonic to the nerves of anxious viewers who feared it may never return.
Originally, the plan from Paramount was to wrap up “Yellowstone” Season 5 in six episodes. Series star Kevin Costner shocked the entertainment world by announcing he wanted to leave the show earlier this year. Sheridan spoke about Costner’s exit, but refused to enter into the back-and-forth accusations that have gone on behind the scenes as to whose fault his departure really was.
“My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct,” Sheridan explained. “He and the network were arguing about when he could be done with Yellowstone. I said, ‘We can certainly work a schedule toward [his preferred exit date],’ which we did.”
Sheridan also offered updates about the “Yellowstone” sequel series that will reportedly star Matthew McConaughey. That show will air on Paramount Network and eventually stream on Paramount+, but Sheridan says that McConaughey is still in late-stage negotiations for the starring role. He hasn’t been confirmed yet, but his presence is likely.
The same cannot be said for other “Yellowstone” characters in the new spinoff, as Sheridan claims that the story will be mostly self-contained. It may not feature any figures from “Yellowstone,” or it may have just a couple of overlapping characters. It’s hard to know for sure at this point, since Sheridan isn’t supposed to be doing any work on the series thanks to the strike.
The auteur also gave fans more information about the spinoff “6666.” That show is currently on hold, as Sheridan purchased the real-life 6666 Ranch in Texas, and needs to spend some time renovating the property and making sure everything is in order before moving forward.
“[The ranch], for a number of reasons, needs a unique level of special care because this is a real place with real families working here,” he told THR. “You have to respect the lineage. I’ve told [the studio] to be patient.”
There are few writers working today with the ability to hold up production on a series like Sheridan can. His series bring millions of viewers to Paramount+, and that gives him the ability to make demands most writers wouldn’t dream of. But he did give fans confirmation that “Yellowstone” will still be back (sometime), and that its farewell tour might be longer than originally anticipated.
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