Despite the rumors that Yellowstone could continue on Paramount Network after Season 5 finishes airing this fall, actors Kelly Reilly and Luke Grimes insist they’re sticking to Taylor Sheridan‘s plan for the series finale.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Reilly revealed Sheridan told her how the show would end when they were filming Season 1.
“It was always going to be five seasons in [Taylor’s] head, but because the show became so successful, the network and everyone wanted more,” she said. “Fate took it and we ended this part of Yellowstone in a way that he always envisioned it to end.”
Reilly, who plays the loyal daughter of Kevin Costner‘s rancher John Dutton, said Season 5, Part 2, will show her character struggling with the distance from her new husband, Rip (Cole Hauser).
“We start the show where Rip’s gone to Texas and Beth is miserable without him,” Reilly teased. “Within 24 hours, she’s like, ‘When are you coming back?’ She doesn’t have much patience or understanding that he has to go and do cowboying so she might take a trip down to Texas to see him.”
And it looks like there’s a storm coming for her brother, Jamie.
Though Costner will not be returning for the Season 5 finale, Reilly said her father’s absence will only make her character’s “desire to protect her family’s lineage… more urgent” as she remains his “most loyal soldier” in Season 5.
“It is unwavering, her devotion to protecting this place, even if it’s a place that has caused her so much sadness in her life,” the actress said. “She’s always foreseen Jamie as the biggest threat to its survival and I think there is a fulfilling of a prophecy happening here. She ended the last episode saying we’re at war. She keeps her promise.”
Grimes added that fans will finally get to see “more interaction” between Kayce and Beth Dutton. “That was really fun because Kelly and I had talked over the years about how we wish we’d had more stuff together because we’re never really in the same room, if you think about it. It was great working with Kelly and being around Beth’s energy a little bit,” he said.
The Yellowstone stars also praised Sheridan’s plan for the finale.
While the SAG and WGA strikes heavily delayed production, Reilly said, “In a weird way, having a little break meant that you’re coming back to something that you’re not taking for granted, and the scripts were so good. So good. We got to finish something rather than draw something out or prolong it.”
Grimes added that he “couldn’t be happier” with the series ending.
“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,” he said. “I can’t wait to sit down and watch it one day.”
Could they be talking about the end of Yellowstone as we know it, or simply the end of Season 5? Recent reports claim Reilly and Hauser are in talks to remain on Yellowstone amid Costner’s dramatic exit.
But the Yellowstone universe continues to grow: Paramount announced a new spin-off series starring Michelle Pfeiffer, titled The Madison.
Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2 premieres on Paramount Network Nov. 10.