Yellowstone Season 5: 6 Quick Things We Know About The New Season

Rip in sunglasses and hat on a horse on Yellowstone
(Image credit: Paramount Network)

Following the conclusion of Yellowstone Season 4, fans of Taylor Sheridan’s sprawling neo-western series have spent the better part of a year lacking any and all Dutton content. (At least when it comes to new episodes, since linear marathons and streaming binge sessions are never far away.) Although Paramount Network announced the renewal and impending arrival of Yellowstone Season 5 back in February, those very same fans have been left wondering when Kevin Costner and the rest of the show’s cast would return for another chapter of high-stakes drama. That will soon change in not much time at all..

With the show’s return not all that far off, we have put together a quick yet comprehensive list of details we already know about Yellowstone Season 5 including its release date, information on the cast, and where the story will possibly take the Duttons and everyone in their orbit. So without further ado, let’s dig in.

john dutton outside on Yellowstone

(Image credit: Paramount Network)

Yellowstone Season 5 Premieres November 13th: How To Watch

Paramount Network is the official home of Yellowstone when new episodes air. Even before Paramount Network pulled the trigger and announced that Season 5 was officially in the cards, one producer was already hyping fans up for a fall premiere. David Glasser, the CEO of the show's production company 101 Studios, gave a post-finale update in January on what the tentative timeline of progress would be for the western drama’s future, and he confirmed (as much as it could be confirmed) that the going plan is to have Season 5 of Yellowstone debut in the fall, similar to Season 4’s later-than-expected arrival.

Fans of the increasingly popular drama series finally got a definitive answer in August when Paramount Network announced the show would return to the airwaves Sunday, November 13th, kicking off the next epic chapter in the Dutton family history.

That same day, Taylor Sheridan's latest show Tulsa King can also be watched on Paramount Plus. In addition, previous episodes of Yellowstone are available with a Peacock subscription and Season 5 will eventually head to the streamer as well.  

John Dutton swearing in on bible in Yellowstone

(Image credit: Paramount Network)

Yellowstone Season 5 Will See John Dutton Take On A New Role: Montana Governor

When Yellowstone Season 5 premieres in November 2022, it will see John Dutton take on perhaps his biggest role yet: the newly-elected governor of Montana. In the fallout of the show’s exciting and detail-heavy trailer back in September, Deadline reported on the upcoming drama that will follow after the Dutton family patriarch is elected to the highest office in the state. Although Dutton’s plans for his first term as governor have not yet been made clear, his decision to fire his staff and hire Beth (Kelly Reilly) to run things in his office should be clear indication the powerful rancher is up to his old games, only on a larger scale.

Beth Dutton on Yellowstone

(Image credit: Paramount Network)

Most Of Yellowstone’s Remaining Cast Members Are Returning, With Possible Exceptions

Beyond the actors mentioned above, Yellowstone's Season 5 cast will include: Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Brecken Merrill, Forrie Smith, Denim Richards, Ian Bohen, Finn Little, Ryan Bingham, and Gil Birmingham, which is essentially the entire lineup of familiar characters. Even Finn Little is noted there, further extending the idea that he's being set up as the future generation of the ranch, along with possibly Tate, whose portrayer, Brecken Merrill, is also listed. 

When the show returns, it will also see some other returning faces to the Yellowstone cast, including Jacki Weaver’s Caroline Warner, Moses Brings Plenty’s Mo, Piper Perabo’s Summer Higgins, and Josh Lucas, who returns as a younger version of John Dutton.

Curiously, some actors whose names are absent include Eden Brolin, whose Mia was deeply distressed after seeing Jimmy and Emily together; Hassie Harrison, whose Laramie was partially a catalyst for Walker and Lloyd's bloody rivalry in Season 4; and Katherine Cunningham, whose returning character Christina shook things up in Jamie's world.

Now, just because these actors weren't noted doesn't confirm that they won't be around in future episodes. The same goes for recurring actors such as Jake Ream (as Jake), and other familiar faces that make up the extended fabric of this universe. Still, it's interesting to note, considering all the other actors were name-checked in full. 

Jen Landon, Jefferson White, and Kathryn Kelly on Yellowstone

(Image credit: Paramount Network)

Jen Landon, Jefferson White And Kathryn Kelly Have Been Promoted To Series Regular For Season 5 

I don’t think this particular entry needs much additional fanfare, seeing as how it’s immediately obvious how awesome it is. Having served as a recurring actor across Seasons 3 and 4 of Yellowstone, the producers rewarded Jen Landon's twang-ridden efforts by promoting her to series regular for Season 5. This obviously means we’ll get a lot more of Teeter’s A+ dialogue and gross-out lines and the like, but it also stands to reason that Taylor Sheridan could find ways to deepen the character’s narrative in upcoming episodes and seasons. Hopefully, however, it won’t mean that her story is getting beefed up just to set her up for a fifth-season demise. That would not be cool.  

Jimmy’s entire Season 4 arc on Yellowstone appeared to be tailor-made to dovetail into his upcoming lead turn in the 6666 spinoff, and the introduction of Kathryn Kelly’s Emily as his co-worker-turned-girlfriend-turned-fiancé seemed to strengthen the idea that the flagship series was building up that world for standalone storytelling. Which is technically still true, of course, but now we know that Jefferson White’s Jimmy won’t actually be absent from Yellowstone itself, as he’s set to return as a series regular in Season 5. What’s more, Kelly was also promoted to series regular status for the upcoming season, though it’s not clear if that means the couple will be back in Montana, or if the storytelling will once again be split across two locations. 

John dutton in sunglasses and hat in Yellowstone

(Image credit: Paramount Network)

The Yellowstone Season 5 Trailer Shows The Dutton Family Fighting Their Biggest Battles Yet

The members of the Dutton family are no strangers to drama and enemies, as they have turned friends (and family) into foes and bitter rivals into nemeses over the course of the Paramount Network series so far, but the Yellowstone Season 5 trailer sees the strong, powerful, and combative family turn battles into wars on multiple fronts:

As seen in the official trailer, Governor John Dutton looks to be running his administration in a similar fashion to the way he has operated his ranch all those years: with an iron will and iron fist as he starts the next chapter rises to the top of the proverbial food-chain.

Meanwhile, if you don't remember how Season 4 ended for the Duttons and co., we have you covered as well. 

Yellowstone ranch barn

(Image credit: Paramount Network)

Yellowstone Season 5 Will Consist Of 14 Episodes

The first four seasons of Yellowstone saw the drama and action play out over the course of 10 episodes apiece, but Taylor Sheridan’s neo-western series next collection of episodes will be more supersized than ever before. Back in February, the Wall Street Journal (via TheWrap) announced that Yellowstone Season 5 will consist of 14 episodes, giving Sheridan and company four additional hours of time to tell the next chapter in the ongoing Dutton family saga. This will also give fans four additional Sunday nights of strong characters, engaging storylines, and some eye-popping scenery to digest.

While waiting to see when and how Yellowstone will pick its story back up with Season 5 on November 13th at 8/7c on Paramount Network, catch up on the first four seasons and be sure to check out our 2022 fall TV premiere schedule to see what other new and returning shows are debuting the final weeks of the year.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.