Beech Tree News Network

This Sunday, December 15, the series Yellowstone will end after 5 seasons.  The Neo-Western drama created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson (though Sheridan gets all the credit publicly) premiered on June 20, 2018, on Paramount Network.  The series starred Kevin Costner in the first four and a half seasons, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille and Gil Birmingham were in all five seasons.

In 2013, Sheridan began work on the series, having recently grown tired of acting and switched to screenwriting.  Having lived in the rural parts of states such as Texas and Wyoming, Sheridan set the series in Montana and set the first scripts in Livingston.  Sheridan initially pitched the series to HBO but the network declined.  In May 2017, Paramount Network announced that it had greenlit its first scripted series, Yellowstone. Paramount issued a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes.  The series was set to be written, directed and executive-produced by Sheridan. 

This fifth and final season is set to be followed by a sequel series called The Madison.  A prequel series titled 1883(2021-2022) was announced following a five-year deal signed by Sheridan with Viacom CBS and MTV Entertainment Group.  The series focused on a generation of the Dutton family during the Old West as they undertake the arduous journey across the country before settling the land that would become Yellowstone Ranch.  A second prequel called 1923(2022-present) focuses on an intervening generation of the Dutton family during the time of Western Expansion, Prohibition and the Great Depression.  Two further spinoffs titled 6666 and 1944 are also in development.  

Things were peachy and it looked like there was no end in sight for Yellowstone until the end of the first part of season 5.  For four and a half seasons, Yellowstone fans watched Kevin Costner as John Dutton, owner of the powerful Montana ranch and then governor of the state.  Costner appeared in the first eight episodes, which aired in 2022 and 2023, but disagreements between Costner and Sheridan led to Costner leaving the show.  Costner was making a western of his own, the movie Horizon which bombed.  He had a part two in the can and was planning on more.  It remains to be seen if they’ll be made.  As you can imagine, writing, directing and starring in a big period piece takes a lot of time.  It became difficult to balance that with Yellowstone.  Costner paused Horizon to return to Yellowstone but said there was no script.  Costner says he was originally approached and was pitched Yellowstone as a one-season limited series.  As the show evolved, he said he’d do it for three seasons.  He ended up doing four and a half.  A 14-month show hiatus, exasperated by the strike, was the final straw.  Costner was told of his character’s death but didn’t exactly rush to go watch.  In fact, he says he hasn’t watched since he left.  The period piece he left the show to work on bombed.  Part one was so bad that part two might not see the light of day.  

As for the Yellowstone series finale, as I said it airs Sunday at 7 pm on Paramount Network.  I’ve never been a viewer of Westerns which is why I was surprised I’ve seen this show since day one and am a fan.  The series is not just a Western, though.  The show has a little bit of Dallas, some Godfather, Sopranos, all rolled into one.  You can catch up on Yellowstone on Peacock, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, fubo TV or DirecTV Stream.

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