Yellowstone season 6 officially in development: Paramount hit may not be canceled after all

Just when we thought Paramount Network was about to put Yellowstone out to pasture, it appears the network has decided it might not be time to end the series just yet! 

While Paramount has not yet officially renewed Yellowstone for season 6, industry insider Lesley Goldberg has reported via Puck News that the network is looking to continue the series after all and will not be ending the show with its current fifth season. Instead of canceling the show due to Kevin Costner’s departure, Paramount is looking to keep the show going with help from stars Kelly Reilly (Beth Dutton) and Cole Hauser (Rip Wheeler), who are primed to take over as the new franchise leads moving forward. 

"Sources say that Yellowstone O.G. will not end with season five," Goldberg reports (h/t Pop Culture), "it will simply continue without Kevin Costner but with stars Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly, who are closing deals to return.”

The duo were previously in discussion to reprise their roles in the new spinoff The Madison, as Paramount looked to bring an end to the flagship series with Costner’s exit. Instead, it seems that Paramount has decided to continue the original Yellowstone series with help from the pair instead of sunsetting the series simply due to the loss of Costner. 

It’s not yet known who else from the series main cast might be coming back for season 6, but one would expect the likes of Luke Grimes (Kayce Dutton)and Wes Bentley (Jamie Dutton) would still be involved in the show moving forward.

Yellowstone season 6 should happen

With Paramount Network reportedly working on a sixth season of the show, it has to be said that Yellowstone season 6 absolutely should happen. 

While Costner might have been the face that helped launch the show, his exit shouldn’t bring about the end of the series as there are still so many more stories that can be told on the show and he was just one piece of the puzzle. In fact, it can be argued successfully that Kelly Reilly’s Beth Dutton and Cole Hauser’s Rip Wheeler have eclipsed Costner’s John Dutton as the real stars of the series. 

Rip and Beth have become fans’ favorite duo and they’re more than ready to lead the show, and there is no doubt that the fans will stick around for season 6 knowing they’ll be the leads of the franchise moving forward. 

Ending the show just because Costner wanted to walk away would have been a huge disservice to the full cast and the fans of the show, who continue to make the show one of the most successful series on air. We’ve seen many shows overcome the departure of a series regular and Yellowstone has all the makings to continue for many more years to come without Costner’s involvement. 

Bringing the show to an end would have been a major miss. While we know there were plans to incorporate standout Yellowstone characters in the planned spinoff, the best move is to continue the original series and allow the stories of the characters to be the stars of the show, not play second fiddle.

Now let's just hope Paramount finalizes these plans and makes the official annoucement that Yellowstone season 6 is indeed happenig.