The Yellowstone universe keeps on expanding, with new spin-offs and seasons being added to its umbrella every now and then. The credit for this goes to Taylor Sheridan, the brilliant director behind the camera lens, who debuted the beloved show on Paramount Network in 2018 and radically redefined the family drama genre.
But with credibility also comes a series of criticisms, and even Sheridan is not immune to them. The director has received a lot of criticism for his choices lately, and the future of his impending spin-off is already looking gloomy.
Taylor Sheridan’s greater concentration on spin-offs
The director is a cowboy at heart, with several ranches and horses to his name, but what is equally clear is his fixation with working on multiple projects at once (currently 11 projects at various stages of production via Business Insider). While this may work for some, it typically backfires for others.
This focus was one of numerous reasons why Kevin Costner, who had been affiliated with the show for five years since 2018, will not appear in the upcoming Part 2 final episodes. In an interview with GQ, Costner disclosed that Taylor Sheridan, Paramount, and 101 Studios were all working on various Yellowstone originals and spin-offs at the same time. He stated that for Sheridan:
other shows became more important.
The tallest on this list is a spin-off based on 6666, his Texas ranch, also known as the Four Sixes, which Sheridan owns. This idea first made headlines in 2021 and was supposed to debut in 2023, but there is still no word on when the show will air. In a past interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sheridan detailed the reasons behind the delay, stating:
“That, for a number of reasons, needs a unique level of special care because this is a real place with real families working here. You have to respect the lineage,” he said. “I’ve told (the studio) to be patient.”
While the delays have undoubtedly hindered the show’s popularity, viewers on Reddit have their own beliefs as to why they suspect that 6666 will not be as popular as Yellowstone, with one fan commenting:
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There could be a variety of reasons why the impending spin-off will not appeal to viewers. Further, Kevin Costner’s departure has already done significant damage to the Yellowstone world.
This would be exacerbated by how his character, John Dutton, will be presented in Part 2 of the final season: will he be killed off (as shown by Sarah Atwood’s intention to make Jaime Dutton the next Governor of Montana, deposing John Dutton) or recast? Both of which the show’s supporters and devoted viewers are unprepared for.
Kevin Costner’s apparent feud with Taylor Sheridan
Off-screen conflicts are typical in Hollywood, but when a famous show is involved, they quickly become headlines. This is what the alleged feud between Taylor Sheridan and Kevin Costner was about. There were several stated reasons for Costner’s departure from the show, but the most significant was a conflict in his filming schedule for his project Horizon: An American Saga (via Dexerto).
Furthermore, the actor objected to the fifth season being broken into two parts. In an interview with Deadline, he addressed the same subject and revealed:
“Somewhere along the line, they wanted to change things. They wanted to do 5A and 5B; (it) affected Horizon. I was going to do my movie Horizon and leave that show, do my movie, then do B. A show I was only doing once a year I was now doing twice.”
Meanwhile, Sheridan was managing his ever-growing TV shows and a slew of Yellowstone spin-offs in development, and he may have been too busy to personally address the situation.
However, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sheridan told his side of the tale, adding:
“He (Kevin Costner) 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.”
Several discussions and negotiations were made with the actor, but he ultimately chose the path that best suited him.
Yellowstone is now streaming on Peacock and DirectTV, and can be purchased or rented from Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play Movies. Part 2 of the show is scheduled to premiere on November 10, 2024.