John Dutton and his family are facing the end of the road, but there’s still plenty of drama to come in Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2.
Taylor Sheridan’s cowboy kingdom is growing rapidly, but it all started with Yellowstone back in 2018. Six years and 47 episodes later, we’re now preparing for the final curtain on the Dutton’s ranch drama.
There’s a lot to think about when it comes to this grand finale, though. Will Kevin Costner return to the Yellowstone cast? Which Yellowstone characters will survive? And will Summer Higgins be able to convert the Duttons to veganism?
We’ve been able to round up plenty of information on the upcoming finale, so let’s dive into everything there is to know about Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 so far.
Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 release date
Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 will be premiere on November 10, 2024. The news was announced on social media on June 20.
Save the date: November 10. #YellowstoneTV pic.twitter.com/sM3yK0gDSx
— Yellowstone (@Yellowstone) June 20, 2024
The Taylor Sheridan show began filming in May, after an official announcement from Paramount, who confirmed on May 20 that production had started. At this point, the final episodes were still slated to air in November 2024.
For some of the cast, filming for Season 5 Part 2 has wrapped as of early August. The official wrap party took place on September 7, 2024, as confirmed by Instagram stories of several crew members. Looks like there’s no turning back now!
It wasn’t always supposed to end like this. Yellowstone would have likely continued for more seasons, but with Kevin Costner leaving the cast, the show was brought to an early cancellation. Still, Taylor Sheridan is hard at work bringing several new spinoff shows to life, including 1944, 6666, and newly retitled Yellowstone 2024, which is now called The Madison.
Who’s in the cast?
Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, and Luke Grimes are the most likely cast members to return for Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2. Kevin Costner has officially announced that he won’t be returning.
As it stands, the Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 cast includes:
- Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton
- Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler
- Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton
- Wes Bentley as Jamie Dutton
- Kelsey Asbille as Monica Dutton
- Gil Birmingham as Thomas Rainwater
- Dawn Olivieri as Sarah Atwood
- Forrie J. Smith as Lloyd Pierce
- Brecken Merrill as Tate Dutton
- Finn Little as Carter
A rumor (via Puck in May 2024) also suggests that Hauser, Reilly, and Grimes have all signed on to reprise their Yellowstone roles in the new sequel series, The Madison (previously titled Yellowstone 2024). This comes after alleged pay disputes that needed to be worked out before any confirmation.
It was also revealed in an on-set image from the 6666 side of things that Jefferson White (who plays Jimmy), would also likely be making an appearance in Part 2.
In the images, posted by Four Sixes cowboy Zack Peters on Instagram, White could be seen with other members of the Yellowstone cast. This makes sense, since Rip, Jake, Ryan, Teeter, and Walker all left for Texas at the end of Part 1.
Kevin Costner is out
Kevin Costner won’t be returning to Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 (sorry to be the bearers of bad news).
Costner announced his official departure from the show on social media, explaining “I want to reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half of working on Horizon and doing all the things that’s required, and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love, that I know you love, I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue Season 5B or into the future.”
An update for you guys. I’ll see you at the movies. pic.twitter.com/DpuC5cOP6F
— Kevin Costner & MW (@modernwest) June 21, 2024
“It was something that really changed me. I loved it. And I know you loved it. And I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning and I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop and I’ll see you at the movies.”
The will-they-won’t-they surrounding Costner’s return sparked rumors of a Costner-Sheridan feud, resulting in the scripts being rewritten.
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Fortunately, the remaining Yellowstone cast don’t seem to be too worried about the fate of the final episodes sans Costner. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Kelly Reilly said: “It changes nothing as far as Beth’s desire to protect her family’s lineage. In fact it becomes more urgent.”
Luke Grimes also had assurances, saying: “I read the last episode the day before we started filming. I couldn’t be happier. I think it’s a perfect ending for the show for every character. It’s just a testament to what a good writer Taylor is, and it’s a very, very profound, beautiful ending. I can’t wait to sit down and watch it one day.”
What could the plot be?
One storyline we expect to be central to Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 is for Beth and Jamie’s longstanding feud to come to a head, with one or both of them possibly getting killed off.
Another key plot point that needs addressing is the fate of John Dutton. If Costner does return, it’s almost certain he will want his character dealing in a very definitive way. So, as painful as it may be, it’s more than likely we will see the head of the Dutton family tree meet his maker one way or another.
The Grim Reaper clearly spends a lot of time in Montana. So much so, that we were able to create a list of the 10 most shocking deaths in Yellowstone and still struggled to narrow it down. With Taylor Sheridan closing this chapter, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him kill a few of his darlings.
Aside from all the misery, Kayce Dutton, his wife, Monica, and their son, Tate could find something of a happy ending. Kayce has got his priorities straight and insists he is putting family first, and let’s not forget, Tate is the only true heir to the Yellowstone empire at this point.
Enemies are closing in from all sides, and there are sure to be casualties along the way for the Duttons. However, we suspect Sheridan will want to wrap things up with the family getting a victory of sorts. As per the prophecy in 1883, don’t be surprised to see Tate being the one to unite the Duttons and the Native Americans by sharing up the land between them in the end.
Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 trailer
The first teaser trailer dropped on August 30, 2024. It features some throwbacks to classic John Dutton moments, but the main attraction is the battle between Jamie and Beth.
We get a look at Jamie destroying evidence as the FBI close in, Beth making threats down the phone, Rip and Lloyd preparing for life away from the ranch, and Kayce potentially planning to do something crazy.
How many episodes will there be?
Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 will probably have six episodes. But, it could be as many as 10.
Originally, Yellowstone Season 5 was set to have 14 episodes, and with eight already having aired, that would leave six to come in Part 2.
However, this was before the complications arose with Yellowstone’s cancellation and Costner’s exit. As such, Sheridan might need a little more room to navigate a coherent and satisfying ending. He has said [via The Hollywood Reporter]: “If I think it takes 10 episodes to wrap it up, they’ll give me 10. It’ll be as long as it needs to be.”
Josh Lucas (who plays a younger version of John Dutton) has also mentioned that he believes at least 10 more episodes are on the cards.
Watch weekly on Paramount
The final part of Yellowstone will be available to watch weekly on the Paramount Network upon release, but will also likely be available to stream on Peacock.
The show (unlike the Yellowstone spin-offs) doesn’t run on the Paramount+ streaming service in its entirety, so it’ll likely air weekly before ending up available to stream on Peacock. If you’re outside the US, then you’ll be able to watch the new episodes on Paramount+ as normal.
That’s everything we know about Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 for now. In the meantime, why not check out our other Yellowstone guides? We’ve got them on the Y brand, Train Station, and a ranking of all the Yellowstone villains.
