Yellowstone May Have Ended Earlier Than Expected, But We'll Get To See Some OG Characters Back On Screen Sooner Than I Thought

Yellowstone may have ended earlier than anyone anticipated, but we’re nowhere near done with the Duttons. After the flagship show came to a close in 2024, we learned more of their history by way of 1923’s run on the 2025 TV schedule, and ended up with more questions about the Dutton family tree. We also know there’s another Yellowstone prequel coming and some shows that take place after the events of Taylor Sheridan’s first series about this family. Now, we also have a rough idea of when some of these projects are coming out, and I have to say, it’s sooner than I expected.

Yellowstone Reportedly Ended Three Seasons Early

In the turbulent couple of years between the first and second halves of Yellowstone Season 5, there were countless reports about tension between Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan.

Then, in June 2024, it was confirmed that Costner would not return as John Dutton. That was obviously cause for massive change on Yellowstone, seeing as it lost its leading man. However, apparently, it’s also the reason why the Western ended after Season 5. According ot Bloomberg, this Paramount Network series “ended about three seasons before Sheridan had hoped because of a conflict with Costner.”

So, it seems like the plan was to keep Yellowstone going through Season 8, which is wild to think about. However, while things got cut short, a few OG characters are coming back with their own shows, and it seems like they might be gracing our screens sooner rather than later.

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However, The OG Characters Are Coming Back For New Shows And We Have An Idea Of When We’ll See Them

Not long after Yellowstone ended, news broke about a Rip and Beth spinoff – now tentatively titled Dutton Ranch. Then, recently, we learned that a Kayce spinoff might be happening at CBS. That means, three of the flagship show’s biggest names, Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly and Luke Grimes, will all be returning as their beloved characters, and we won’t really be leaving the world of Yellowstone.

However, other than Cole Hauser saying we’d have to “see what happens over the next year,” we really had no indication of when these series would actually get made. Now, this Bloomberg report has given us an idea of the potential release windows.

Reportedly, Dutton Ranch is set to “debut on the Paramount Network in the fall.” That means a 2025 release and a premiere that comes within a year of Yellowstone ending. That’s soon, people! Remember, we waited two years – let me reiterate two years – for the second half of Season 5. So, knowing we might only have to wait one year to see Rip and Beth return is thrilling news.

Along with that, Kayce’s spinoff is apparently “coming to CBS in 2026.” Considering we only learned about this project in March, that feels fairly soon to me.

So, overall, it seems like we’ll be seeing these original and beloved Yellowstone characters back on-screen quite soon, and I’m so here for it!

Not to mention, these two shows are also part of a lineup that includes Michelle Pfeiffer’s The Madison spinoff as well as the prequel, 1944. So, there’s so much Yellowstone coming to fill the void left by the OG series’ early end.

So, have no fear, folks, a bunch of beloved Yellowstone characters are coming back with their own series within the next year and change.