Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2: Everything We Know About the Dramatic Return

We first started this trip with everything we know about Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 in the middle of 2023. We're now pushing toward the middle of 2024, and no news has been, in this case, bad news.

According to many sources, we're getting closer to filming the second half, which may be as long as ten episodes, if not longer.

Let's see what we've managed to gather.

The first part is easy. Yes and no.

Has Yellowstone Been Renewed?

This is a bit of a trick question. Paramount Network had always planned on splitting the season into two parts, with the first half launching in November 2022.

The second half was set to premiere in the summer of 2023, but behind-the-scenes drama changed everything for the show.

Initially, it was alleged that Kevin Costner didn't want to commit to filming six more episodes, with reports claiming he gave a small window of availability.

The actor's representatives shut down those claims. It was then revealed that the series would end following Yellowstone Season 5.

That wasn't always the plan, and it was likely a decision made when it seemed like the show couldn't continue in its current form with the behind-the-scenes drama.

Despite six episodes remaining, Taylor Sheridan has been vocal about possibly adding more episodes to help bring the show to a close. The latest word from an interview Josh Lucas had with Deadline suggests it could be ten, if not more.

How do you bring a show like Yellowstone to a close? With a case like this, it's an always-moving target.

So yes, the series is canceled, but we still don't know for certain how many episodes remain or who will be in them.

When Will Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Premiere?

As we already said, the series was supposed to return in the summer of 2023, but that plan changed once it was revealed that the show would be ending.

Factor after factor affected getting this show on the road from the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes to the considerable number of behind-the-scenes escapades, including things like lawsuits from multiple directions that keep getting in the way.

Here we are in March 2023, and filming has not yet started on the second half of Season 5, which is now slated to return in November.

Will Kevin Costner Return for Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2?

Kevin Costner's return to the show has been questioned for months due to the reports of him only wanting to film for a week for the final part of the season.

At this point, there's a raging battle behind the scenes as to whether John Dutton will be killed off and never return or if calmer heads will prevail, allowing Costner to join the show for its final episodes.

At the end of Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 8, tensions were high, and as Jamie clashed with his family once again, it didn't seem like a stretch that he'd kill John. After all, he'd already killed his birth father. What's another dead father figure.

While it could also make sense not to kill off the patriarch, the universe Sheridan created thrives on unexpected deaths, and when a man feels he's been wronged, what's a better way to get over it than to kill him off the most popular series of the last decade?

Of course, the men could get together over a cup of coffee, and everything would change. That's how life is. You never know until you know.

Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Cast

Thanks to its sprawling storylines, Yellowstone has one of the biggest ensembles on the small screen.

- ~~Kevin Costner as John Dutton~~

- Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton

- Kelly Reilly as Bethany Dutton

- Wes Bentley as Jamie Dutton

- Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler

- Kelsey Asbille as Monica Dutton

- Jefferson White as Jimmy Hurdstram

- Brecken Merrill as Tate Dutton

- Forrie J. Smith as Lloyd Pierce

- Denim Richards as Colby Mayfield

- Ian Bohen as Ryan

- Finn Little as Carter

- Ryan Bingham as Walker

- Wendy Moniz-Grillo as Governor Lynelle Perry

- Jen Landon as Teeter

- Kathryn Kelly as Emily

- Mo Brings Plenty as Mo

- Gil Birmingham as Thomas Rainwater

As we said, it's a stacked cast.

We decided not to remove Kevin Costner entirely. We can remove those strikeout lines or his entire entry when the reality is revealed.

But Costner's departure doesn't mean the end of John Dutton. Josh Lucas, who has played young John Dutton since Yellowstone Season 1, told Deadline he reached out to Sheridan, and the door has not been shut on his return.

Lucas's portrayal of the younger Dutton has been fantastic, and we're thrilled to hear that he might return.

Will Matthew McConaughey Appear on Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2?

Ever since the news of the show's demise, reports emerged that a spinoff with Matthew McConaughey is in the works. That could mean the actor will appear in one of the final episodes to help the main series segue into the spinoff.

However, now we know that McConaughey's participation is reliant on reading the script, and he hasn't seen that as of yet.

As with most things in the Yellowstone universe, this is up in the air.

Yellowstone's ratings alone make highlighting spinoff characters a worthwhile move because it would get more eyes on them and their conflicts of the offshoot.

The reality is that the longer something is off the air without much news supporting a beginning or a return, the more likely it is that it will fade into the woodwork and disappear from our view.

How Many Episodes Have Been Ordered for Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2?

While many thought we were getting six more episodes, Taylor Sheridan hinted it could be bigger.

"If I think it takes ten episodes to wrap it up, they'll give me ten," Sheridan explained to The Hollywood Reporter in June 2023.

"It'll be as long as it needs to be."

The show's fans will welcome that news, but it does make us wonder whether all of the cast will commit to more episodes. At this point, these have been fame-creating roles, so the most rational cast out there will want to see their character's journey through to the end.

That said, they are moving on, at least a little bit. Kelly Reilly has a new movie on Paramount+ with Succession's Brian Cox called Little Wing. And Cole Hauser has started a coffee company. Unfortunately, so has Taylor Sheridan, and a lawsuit has ensued.

Well, what's a little more behind-the-scenes drama with a story as dramatic as this?

We fully expect most of the cast to return, and we might even get lucky and get Coster after all. Stay tuned, folks!

Is There a Trailer for Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2?

There have been teasers, but none have featured new footage because the final episodes haven't been filmed. Filming is set to begin this summer, much like it was set to begin last summer.

If Paramount plays their cards right, as soon as filming starts, they'll want to start promoting the hell out of it. People are beginning to lose faith. Can you imagine having gone through all of this only to find the fans ditched you?

So, we expect some publicity to come around the end of summer.