When Yellowstone made its debut in 2018, it was evident that the show would grow to be a hit. Centered on the Dutton family, the owners of one of the biggest ranches in Montana, the Western show garnered a huge fan following and critical acclaim. Over the years, it has spanned five seasons and numerous shoot-offs. But just like everything, it has to come to an end sometime.
Written to be Yellowstone’s last, season 5 premiered almost a year ago, with the first part of the installment comprising eight episodes. The other half was originally scheduled for fall 2023. However, the writers’ and actors’ strikes must have affected the beloved show as it hasn’t returned this season. Moreover, it doesn’t seem to be hitting the screens any time soon. Now, 2024 is a more realistic time window for Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 premiere.
Original Delays
Reportedly, the second half of Yellowstone’s fifth season was initially set for this summer. However, the date had to be reconsidered due to Kevin Costner’s scheduling conflicts as the show’s star was busy with his new franchise, Horizon, where he serves as a jack-of-all-trades – writer, director, producer and, of course, and, of course, the lead actor. In fact, Horizon is the primary reason behind the actor’s decision to leave Yellowstone, prompting showrunner Taylor Sheridan to wrap it up after season 5.
Consequently, the second part of the fifth installment was moved to the current fall season. Then, the strikes happened and all programming plans were ruined.
SAG-AFTRA Strike
According to Sheridan, the scripts for the second part of Yellowstone Season 5 were mostly ready prior to the WGA strike. But since the actors’ guild followed suit and went on strike too, the production was disrupted indefinitely. Now that the writers’ guild and the producers’ association have reached a deal, the fate of Yellowstone’s last episodes pivots on the SAG-AFTRA strike.
That would mean that the release is unlikely to happen this year and will, perhaps, occur sometime in 2024. Fortunately, there’s a possibility that part two of Yellowstone’s season 5 will feature more episodes than was originally proposed.
‘If I think it takes 10 episodes to wrap it up, [Paramount Network will] give me 10. It’ll be as long as it needs to be,’ Taylor Sheridan said in an interview.
Anyway, we’re looking forward to any news regarding the rest of the beloved show wherever it premieres.