Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2: Release Date, Cast, And More Details About Kevin Costner's Cowboy Drama

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It seems like "Yellowstone" just debuted its fifth season, yet the wildly popular Paramount series is already taking a brief respite this winter before returning with all the ranching drama you could ever ask for. Taylor Sheridan's hit show is on a planned hiatus, with the fifth season that's split into two stretches for a total of 14 episodes as opposed to the show's typical 10-episode run. The expanded schedule gives co-creator Sheridan more legroom when it comes to managing all his other shows, as he's also responsible for the spinoff series "1883" and "1923," among other Paramount series.

Like most shows that go the split-season route, "Yellowstone" will take a few months off while the latter half of the story finishes cooking. Always-prolific Sheridan isn't keeping the Duttons away from us that long, though, as they're set to return later this year for more power plays and plot twists set under the Montana sky. Here's everything we know so far about the back half of the fifth season.

"Yellowstone" left fans hanging with a midseason finale that rang in the new year, taking time off after its January 1, 2023, episode aired. But the show will be back this summer with the second half of season 5, as revealed by a teaser that didn't include a specific return date. In release date jargon, "summer" typically means late May at the very earliest, so it'll, unfortunately, be a four- to seven-month wait for more "Yellowstone," depending on when that summer date falls.

According to The Wrap, "Yellowstone" originally planned the super-sized season with a slightly different timeline: the first half was reportedly set to air last summer, with the second half coming sometime this year. Either way, the split gives Sheridan's other shows, like "Tulsa King" and "1923," some solo time in the spotlight during the off-season.

If you haven't caught the latest episodes of the series yet, you can watch it on the Paramount Channel where they originally aired at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday nights. Past seasons of "Yellowstone" are available to stream on Peacock, while Sheridan's other shows, including the Dutton family prequels, stream on Paramount+. If you have a cable provider login you can also catch the newest episodes on the Paramount website, where the fifth season premiere is streaming for free.

Season 5 of "Yellowstone" has so far followed the rise of John Dutton (Kevin Costner), a politician, as the family patriarch has taken on the role of State governor, making plenty of enemies in the process. Ahead of its release, the new season looked a bit like "Succession" by way of cowboy country, and it's certainly delivered some major power shifts and double-crosses. Most recently, Jamie (Wes Bentley) began plotting to impeach John, while Beth (Kelly Reilly) considers murdering her brother after learning about both his and John's violent histories. 

Jamie, not one to be upstaged, also seems like he'll be spending the off-season plotting his sister's murder.

The mid-season finale also seems to have made way for the latest spinoff series in Sheridan's stable: "6666." The series about the famous Texas Four Sixes ranch doesn't have a release date yet, but will reportedly take place in the present day. Jimmy (Jefferson White), who popped up in the mid-season finale of "Yellowstone," is already at the ranch, and a good chunk of the Montana crew is also headed to Texas. While these plots don't seem to line up just yet, it seems like there's a good chance they'll all coalesce whenever "6666" makes its debut.

The back half of "Yellowstone" season 5 seems poised to keep the same old crew, headed up by Costner, Reilly, Bentley, Luke Grimes' Kayce, and Cole Hauser's Rip Wheeler. There is, of course, the chance that some core "Yellowstone" cast members will end up in Texas for "6666," but until that show gets a date announcement that paints a clearer picture of possible crossovers, it's tough to say for certain.

In fact, there's still a lot we don't know about the back half of "Yellowstone" season 5 since it still seems to be in the works. While there are likely scripts in place (at the show's November premiere, an exec revealed that Sheridan is already writing season 6), it's unclear whether or not the last batch of episodes has been filmed. Piper Parabo, who plays John's beau Summer, told TV Guide in December that she "[doesn't] know what's coming next." Whatever it is, we'll find out for certain this summer when the series returns.