The first teaser for the second half of Yellowstone’s fifth season has arrived — and it features a cameo from an unexpected party.
Despite his much-discussed exit from the show, Kevin Costner appears in the teaser released on Friday, August 30, albeit entirely in flashbacks from earlier seasons. “Legacy. If you build something worth having, someone’s gonna try and take it,” Costner (as John Dutton) intones in the clip.
The teaser then shows Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) ensuring his wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), that what he’s doing is for them and not the ranch. The next scene shows him concealing what seems to be a gun in his hoodie, so it looks like whatever he’s doing isn’t exactly legal.
Another scene shows Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) frantically shredding documents after FBI agents carry boxes out of an unidentified building. “You destroy me, you destroy yourself,” he tells someone on the phone — probably his sister, Beth (Kelly Reilly), who in the first half of season 5A decided she was ready to murder Jamie.
The clip ends with Beth on the phone too, dramatically delivering the line, “Unlike you, I keep my promises.”
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the teaser, however, is that it doesn’t say anything about this being the show’s last installment. The new episodes are simply described as “the epic return” of Yellowstone rather than the lead-up to its series finale.
As fans recall, Paramount Network announced in May 2023 that Yellowstone would end with season 5B, which was originally scheduled to premiere in November of that year. At the time, the network said that the franchise would continue with an untitled sequel series.
“The Dutton story continues, picking up where Yellowstone leaves off in another epic tale,” David Glasser, CEO of 101 Studios, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to bring this new journey to audiences around the world.”
That news came amid rumors that Costner, 69, was leaving Yellowstone because of a feud with cocreator Taylor Sheridan. Both men subsequently denied having any issues, but Costner ultimately confirmed his exit from the series in June.
Earlier this month, however, reports circulated that Yellowstone won’t be ending with season 5 after all and will instead return for season 6. Multiple outlets claimed that Reilly, 47, and Cole Hauser (who plays her husband, Rip Wheeler) were close to signing deals for another season. Paramount Network has not commented on the reports.
The sequel, meanwhile, seems to have become the new spinoff The Madison, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Patrick J. Adams and Matthew Fox. That show was set to begin filming this month and is expected to premiere sometime next year.
Yellowstone season 5B premieres on Paramount Network Sunday, November 10, at 8 p.m. ET.
