“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.”
Buckle up, Yellowstone fans. The Dutton family has problems knocking on their door when the show returns for season 5 part 2.
Apart from Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie (Wes Bentley) potentially plotting to kill each other, John (Kevin Costner) must come to grips with the Yellowstone ranch costing him his legacy. As folks saw in the midseason finale, a bacterial disease called brucellosis threatened to wipe out his cattle, forcing him to send the herd down to Texas. The move may not only put Beth and Rip (Cole Hauser) closer to a reunion with Jimmy down on the 6666 ranch but leasing the land could potentially bankrupt the Duttons as well.
Following a drama-packed midseason 5 cliffhanger, fans are now wondering what’s next for the crew. Unfortunately, there will not be new episodes for a while, but that doesn’t mean the show is over yet — there’s still much more ahead.
When is the Yellowstone season 5 episode 9 release date?
After initial reports that Yellowstone would return with season 5 episode 9 in summer 2023, Deadline confirmed a release date in the fall instead, more specifically November. According to the outlet, filming with the Yellowstone cast is scheduled to begin in August. That said, there is speculation that the ongoing writer’s strike could impact this timeline but not even the cast appears to know.
Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, actress Piper Perabo admitted that she’s in the dark. “I hope [the writers’ strike] doesn’t have an impact. I know [creator] Taylor Sheridan was writing before the strike was happening,” she told the outlet on May 30. “One of the fun things about working on a Sheridan show is that you really don’t know what’s gonna happen. I have no idea what’s happening next and the whole thing left off on this cliffhanger, so I’m waiting myself.”
While there’s no official premiere date yet, Paramount Network dropped a teaser to tide fans over. Unfortunately, the next release date will be the last for the drama because the show will end with season 5.
How many episodes are in Yellowstone season 5 part 2?
As part of its supersized season, showrunner Taylor Sheridan told Variety that the the latest installment is comprised of 14 episodes, which Paramount Network split into two parts.
Though he didn’t share more details at the time, viewers know that the first eight episodes of Yellowstone season 5 aired at the end of 2022, concluding on January 1, 2023. Now, six episodes remain, perhaps coming to our TVs sometime around Thanksgiving Day.
Looking back at the premiere dates for season 4 and season 5 part 1, the installments arrived on November 7, 2021 and November 13, 2022, respectively.
Is Kevin Costner leaving the Yellowstone cast?
There is no official word if Kevin Costner is leaving the Yellowstone cast. Although it was confirmed that the show would end with season 5, there were no further details about his potential return to film the rest of the episodes, per Deadline.
Most recently, on May 8, Puck News reported that the actor won’t commit to returning to the show until he’s “comfortable with how his John Dutton character is written out of the franchise.” Per the site, Kevin wants to avoid meeting a similar fate to Patrick Dempsey and his character Derek Shepherd, who was killed off when the actor left Shonda Rhime’s drama Grey’s Anatomy in 2015.
Deadline originally reported that co-creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan decided to conclude Yellowstone with the latest installment on February 6. According to the outlet, the decision was made after Kevin requested to film the remaining six episodes in one week. Sources told Deadline that Paramount Network “declined” his ask and were eyeing a new Yellowstone spin-off starring Matthew McConaughey instead, wrapping up the original series.
According to Puck News, the filming schedule is still up for debate with show executives “suggesting anywhere from 30 days to 45 days of shooting” while Kevin’s team has countered with “a range from one week to three weeks.”
At the time, Paramount Network released a statement denying that Kevin was leaving Yellowstone after his rumored request caused “frustration” and “morale problems” with the rest of the cast.
“We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come,” a Paramount Network spokesperson told Deadline. “Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner.”
Later, on February 21, Kevin’s attorney, Marty Singer, spoke out on his behalf about the allegations.
“The idea that Kevin was only willing to work one week on the second half of season 5 of Yellowstone is an absolute lie,” he told Puck News. “It’s ridiculous — and anyone suggesting it shouldn’t be believed for one second. As everyone who knows anything about Kevin is well aware, he is incredibly passionate about the show and has always gone way above and beyond to ensure its success.”
With this in mind, we still aren’t sure if we’ve seen the last of John or not …