Prepare to bid farewell to one generation of Duttons… and welcome two more.
The second half of Yellowstone’s fifth season, which will conclude the family saga that started it all, is now set to premiere in November 2024, EW has confirmed. And for those already mourning the departure of the Kevin Costner–led series, Paramount has also revealed plans for two more spinoffs to expand the franchise.
A present-day story, with the working title 2024, will pick up after the events of Yellowstone have concluded, while a prequel series, 1944, will follow in the footsteps of previous spinoffs by jumping into the past to recount the dramatic lives of an earlier Dutton family generation.
Yellowstone already boasts two spinoffs: 1883, which stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, and 1923, featuring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren.
“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. “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.”
Paramount announced in May that Sheridan’s mega-hit Western would end with its fifth season, which has been split into two parts. The first eight episodes began airing in November 2022, with the final episodes originally slated to arrive earlier this year. However, production on Yellowstone was delayed when studios failed to reach an agreement with the striking actors of SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and the striking writers of the WGA (Writers Guild of America). The writers’ strike came to a close on Sept. 27 after 148 days, while the actors’ union continues to negotiate with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
As for the spinoffs, news previously broke that Sheridan was working on ideas to expand the universe with a sequel — and that he was in talks with Matthew McConaughey, who was interested in joining the franchise.
“He seems like a natural fit,” Sheridan said of McConaughey. “We had a few conversations over the years, and spitballed a few ideas. Then he started watching Yellowstone and responded to it. He was like, ‘I want to do that.’ And by ‘that’ he meant diving into a raw world clashing up against the modern world. And then I said, ‘Buddy, that we can do.'”
Yellowstone premiered in 2018 and follows the Dutton family, led by John Dutton (Costner), as he navigates control of the biggest cattle ranch in the country through tumultuous alliances, murder, and conflict with those seeking to seize his power.