Behind the Scenes Drama Brewing on Yellowstone, Threatening to End the Show Early
If you were one of those who were hoping that Yellowstone's fifth season would be its last, that might actually happen now.
Led by Kevin Costner, Yellowstone has been enjoying the ride at Paramount for about five years now, but a new behind-the-scenes drama is threatening to stop the horses for now.
According to Deadline, showrunner Taylor Sheridan and Paramount are exploring the possibility of ending Yellowstone in its current form. Instead, a possible spinoff starring Matthew McConaughey is being discussed.
The news comes as Kevin Costner, Yellowstone's star, reportedly asked to work on the second half of season five for just one week. It's unclear if the show will meet his demands, and a Paramount spokesperson told Deadline that there's "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. 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," the spokesperson added.
However, it looks like Yellowstone fans will be a little disappointed to hear that the main show could end this summer after the return of the second half of season five.
"This show has been running on fumes ever since the prequels released. The story lines for the mainline show have been getting repetitive and you can definitely see that TS is spreading himself thin," Redditor newgodpho said.
Others note that as much as they love Costner, the show needs to "let him go." Some argue that "even Costner hates the writing now," though the behind-the-scenes drama is more about scheduling than storytelling. Still, the news comes as the fandom grows increasingly dissatisfied with the quality of the show.
Previously, it was reported that Taylor Sheridan had at least two more seasons of Yellowstone in mind. No matter what happens with the show in the long run, Season 5 is still scheduled to return this summer, with Paramount yet to set an exact premiere date.