According to reports, “Yellowstone” is negotiating a sixth season after Kevin Costner’s exit

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The hit Western drama series “Yellowstone” could now return for a sixth season, several media outlets reported on Tuesday, months after Kevin Costner left the series during the planned fifth and final season due to scheduling issues and reports that he had clashed behind the scenes with showrunner Taylor Sheridan.

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What was the drama behind the fifth season of “Yellowstone”?

Deadline reported in February 2023 that Costner and Sheridan clashed over scheduling conflicts. After production on season 5 was split into two parts, Costner only wanted to use one week to film the second part, prompting Paramount to reject his proposed shooting schedule. Puck News reported later that month that Costner and Sheridan clashed over Costner's “ego and unavailability,” and claimed Costner demanded more money. Entertainment Tonight reported in May 2023 that Costner would not return for a possible sixth season, and days later, Paramount confirmed that season 5 would be the series' last. Costner told GQ in May 2024 that the decision to split the season into two parts disrupted his schedule for his film Horizon: “I have a contract for Horizon, and I have people and money,” Costner said. He also denied reports that he only wanted to shoot the second part of season 5 within a week. He told GQ that it took so long to complete the scripts that he only had a week left before he had to start production on “Horizon.”

Important background

“Yellowstone” grew in popularity throughout its run, eventually becoming the biggest scripted series on television and paving the way for a franchise that is still growing. In 2022, season five garnered 8.8 million viewers on the Paramount Network and 12.1 million viewers across all networks, including CMT, TV Land and Pop. “Yellowstone” became even more popular during the 2023 Hollywood strikes when it aired on CBS, drawing 6.8 million viewers for its network premiere on Sept. 17. Spin-off series “1883” and “1923” premiered in 2021 and 2022, respectively, while “The Madison,” starring Michelle Pfeiffer, is in production. Additional spin-off series “6666” and “1944” are also reportedly in development.

What you should pay attention to

The second part of the fifth season of “Yellowstone” – and the first episodes of the series without Costner – will premiere on November 10.

tangent

Costner's “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1,” the first of four planned films, was released in June but disappointed at the box office and with critics, prompting distributors Territory Pictures and New Line Cinema to pull the second film, originally scheduled to open on August 16, from theaters. “Chapter 2” will premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 7.

More information

Kevin Costner exits ‘Yellowstone’ after reports of behind-the-scenes drama emerge (Forbes)

Trouble with Kevin Costner’s “Horizon”: His big venture after “Yellowstone” could fall through (Forbes)