Yellowstone’s Final Season: What Do We Know?

With delays, cast drama and ongoing strikes, a lot remains unclear about the final season of hit western Yellowstone.

As the Dutton family and the cast of Yellowstone face uncertainties amid the hit series coming to an end, fans are also wondering not just what to expect in the final season but when they can expect it. With the WGA strike over but the SAG-AFTRA strike still going, casting issues and more, we might want to hold our horses…

Two of the biggest problems facing the final season of Yellowstone stem directly from those strikes, as creator Taylor Sheridan had yet to complete the scripts when the WGA strike was called. Even if he finishes the scripts, SAG-AFTRA strike would prevent any filming from taking place until that gets resolved. Still, The Hollywood Reporter remains hopeful that the last set of episodes will air sometime in 2024. As for how many episodes there will be, while it was originally planned that there would be six (compared to the first part’s eight, which concluded in January), if this is going to be the last we see of John Dutton the season could theoretically run shorter or longer.

But how much will Kevin Costner be involved in the final season of Yellowstone, especially if more episodes get tacked on? Yellowstone made more headlines than ever when it was revealed that Costner wanted to put in fewer hours during the final season partly so he could focus on his passion project Horizon: An American Saga. Once it was out that Costner would officially be leaving the ranch, word came that the show itself would not be returning after its fifth season. While we wait for the last set of episodes, CBS announced that Yellowstone re-runs would be part of their Sunday night schedule this fall, and lo-and-behold, the edited-for-broadcast-tv version is now one of the top rated series on TV.

But where does that leave John Dutton? According to a bombshell report on Puck, Costner wanted veto power over how his character made his exit on the show, ensuring he would have a “moral death” clause. Sheridan is said to have declined, but, perhaps the strike may have cooled things off a bit. Maybe, just maybe, Dutton’s arc won’t be as truncated as headlines seems to suggest.

At any rate, don’t think that the final season of Yellowstone will mark the conclusion to the expanded universe, as there are still a lot of projects to lasso up, including an upcoming sequel series starring Matthew McConaughey. No word yet on what the series will involve, but you can be sure that John Dutton won’t be tipping his hat – both because of Costner and, come on, Dutton has to die in Yellowstone, right?

What do you expect to see in the final season of Yellowstone? Which character(s) do you think won’t make it out alive? Let us know!