Yellowstone Season 6 Could Be Happening After All With Two Returning Stars

"Yellowstone" could continue past its fifth season, with two series regulars potentially stepping up to lead the popular drama. Deadline reports that Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser are in talks to star in a run of new episodes that would see the series continue without its former star Kevin Costner, who played lead character John Dutton.

In 2023, it was seemingly confirmed that "Yellowstone" season 5 would be the show's last, with Costner's controversial "Yellowstone" exit appearing to put the nail in the coffin. "Yellowstone" season 5 part 2, which is set to premiere on November 10, 2024, was therefore thought to be the series' swan song, made all the more tragic by the fact that Costner would not show up in the final episodes of the show. Now, though, it seems fans of the series might well get to revisit the Dutton ranch at least one more time.

According to Deadline's report, "Yellowstone" could well continue into a post-Costner age, with Reilly, who plays John Dutton's daughter Beth, and Hauser, who plays ranch foreman Rip Wheeler, in talks to star. The outlet's sources have stated that "the deals are not done," but both actors are said to have been negotiating their agreements "for months." Those negotiations were initially believed to relate to a "Yellowstone" spin-off series, but if the talks work out, Reilly and Hauser could instead front a sixth season of the popular show.

Reports of Reilly and Hauser returning to front "Yellowstone" will be welcome news to many fans of Taylor Sheridan's neo-Western drama. While Costner has been the face of the series since its arrival, the popularity of "Yellowstone" certainly suggests it could survive past the actor's exit. Whether the sixth season will actually come to fruition remains unconfirmed at this point. However, as Deadline notes, when the teaser for "Yellowstone" season 5 part 2 arrived in June this year, it mentioned nothing about this being the final installment. That certainly suggests Paramount at least suspects the show will continue, as networks will typically play up the final seasons of their flagship shows as a way of building hype.

In the meantime, Sheridan is once again expanding his "Yellowstone" universe with the Kurt Russell and Michelle Pfeiffer-led "The Madison." This is the first contemporary spin-off from Sheridan, and was initially thought to feature Reilly and Hauser reprising their roles. Now, though, it seems we could see a very different future for Sheridan's shared universe, with the duo staying put on the main series while Pfieffer and Russell handle the spin-off.

For now, we'll have to wait for more information to emerge, but things certainly look promising for the future of the Dutton Ranch.