Yellowstone Season 6 rumors confirm our worst fears about Season 5 Part 2

Jakob Barnes
Beth and Rip in Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2

So, after all that fuss about the main show ending, the latest speculation is that Yellowstone Season 6 might actually happen. Good news, right? Well, not quite.

Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 finally begins in November. Unfortunately, it’ll go ahead without Kevin Costner, who left the show after his well-publicized feud with Taylor Sheridan.

With this in mind, fans have been mentally preparing for the fall of the Dutton family empire for a while. But now, there’s a chance Yellowstone Season 6 will actually happen, with Kelly O’Reilly and Cole Hauser being eyed to star.

This doesn’t just potentially spoil the big ending we’ve been gearing up for by all but confirming Beth and Rip will make it out of Season 5 alive; it uncovers a far more worrying issue at the heart of the production.

Does Taylor Sheridan actually have a plan?

We’re a couple of months away from the return of one of the biggest TV shows in the US. We don’t know what will happen in the next batch of Yellowstone episodes. But Taylor Sheridan and Paramount certainly should.

Kevin Costner as John Dutton in Yellowstone

So why are we only now discovering that there’s a chance for Yellowstone Season 6? To me, this screams, ‘we don’t know how to finish this thing.’ At the very least, it suggests the conclusive finale we expect will be left open-ended.

If you’d told me a year ago that Yellowstone would go on forever, I’d have been delighted. But now, I’m worried Sheridan is simply letting his worst tendencies take over – he weaves brilliant stories and creates compelling characters, but he sure knows how to lose control of his plot threads along the way.

Don’t push your luck, cowboy

As soon as they knew Costner was out, Sheridan and Paramount should have sat down and thrashed out a definitive journey for the final episodes that would end Yellowstone in style. 

To go ahead without Costner for Season 5 Part 2 was always a risk, but it can work. Taking John Dutton out of the picture will leave a huge hole in the show, but it’ll also make for some fascinating developments in the Dutton ranks.

Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly as Rip and Beth in Yellowstone

The shadow of John Dutton could and should hang over these next episodes, bringing tension and twists before the show gets a perfect send-off. Dragging Yellowstone out any longer only multiplies the risk of ruining its legacy entirely.

There are enough spinoffs in the works already, anyway. Yellowstone fans will remain well fed with the likes of The Madison and 6666. We don’t need to be forced to consume the reheated leftovers Sheridan found at the back of the refrigerator. I mean, look, I’ll still eat it up, but second helpings aren’t always a good idea.

Why not let Beth and Rip ride off into the sunset? Let John Dutton rest in peace. Let the Yellowstone ranch operate out of sight. Move on, Taylor, and remain the cowboy king that you are.