1923 is returning for another season to tackle the Dutton family’s history. The spinoff series The Madison was once set to be a direct sequel to Yellowstone. However, the story’s change of direction in focusing on a new family leaves the Dutton family’s post-Yellowstone fate in the air. With the rumor of a Beth and Ripp spinoff potentially picking up where Season 5B left off, many fans are wondering what Yellowstone‘s future looks like now that the Season 5 finale is out.

Fans Still Can’t Rule Out Yellowstone Season 6

How McConaughey would fit into the project is a mystery that’s leaning toward the fact that he’s not in it. However, there was a time when McConaughey’s involvement in a Yellowstone sequel seemed like a done deal. In a Hollywood Reporter profile on Taylor Sheridan, the show’s creator revealed that they were “in late-stage negotiations” with McConaughey for a sequel, in which the actor seemed like “a natural fit.” However, the actor never confirmed his involvement in the project. The updates on a sequel with McConaughey went nowhere, and the release of Yellowstone 5B in 2024 also changed the course of the franchise.

Yellowstone’s Most Controversial Character Was Actually The Show’s Most Disappointing

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone includes several terrific character arcs, but one of the show’s prominent villains is a disappointment in the end.

The Yellowstone Story Continues

The Dutton family patriarch’s death kicked off Yellowstone Season 5B with a mystery. The last batch of episodes ties up the Dutton’s multi-generational story in the Yellowstone franchise. The fate of the ranch is settled by a deal between Kayce (Luke Grimes) and Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham), which honors the agreement made by Jamie Dutton and the Indigenous Americans centuries ago in 1883. When James and his wife Margaret settled in Montana, they agreed to return the land to the Indigenous Americans in seven generations. Yellowstone Season 5B’s finale sees Yellowstone Ranch becoming part of the Native American Reservation. At the same time, Beth avenges her father’s death.

Grimes previously discussed his return for a potential Season 6 with Esquire, though he didn’t think it’d make sense for the mothership to continue. The actor admitted that if the network chose to continue Yellowstone, he’d “do it.” Though with the way Season 5B left things, he didn’t think another season would work out so well with Kayce’s character arc also coming to an end. He said:

Birmingham, on the other hand, felt that the story of Yellowstone is far from finished. For generations, the Dutton family has been taking care of the land and the ranch. With the family ranch now part of the Native American reservation, a new opportunity has opened up, which would allow the audience to see more of the Indigenous side of the story. Speaking about the treaty Kayce and Rainwater agreed on, the actor believes that Thomas would honor the deal “out of respect” in an interview with Screen Rant. He hoped that the story in Yellowstone would continue, showing more engagement between the Duttons and the reservation, especially with Tate being part of both groups. “He’s coming from both worlds,” the actor said. With Yellowstone 5B coming to a full cycle for the Duttons since Elsa’s death in 1883, the show could potentially bring forth a new beginning moving forward. Birmingham said, “The holding of the land was on one side, the Duttons, and now the holding on the land is on his other side, so it’ll be an interesting, growing-up experience for him.”

Yellowstone Season 5B took a massive twist as John Dutton III was killed. Did Kevin Costner’s exit help or hurt Yellowstone’s final season?

And, yeah, plenty of people have suggested that [a Broken Rock spinoff], and I think it would be a wonderful world of exploring the Rainwater-Mo world, now being the reverse scenario of the keeper of the land, as opposed to the legacy of the Dutton family.

A Rip and Beth Spinoff Has Been Confirmed

While many remained doubtful about the report, Reilly recently cleared things up on her social media. In a tribute post about her time as Beth in Yellowstone, the actor replied to a fan’s comment about the rumor of the Beth and Rip’s project, confirming that it’s “true” they will come back for a spinoff series. The fan commented, “So is the rumour in the UK that you and Rip are making a spin off season not true! Whatever happens I’ve loved every second of every episode in every season. You guys are all amazing!!” Reilly replied, “True” with a white heart emoji.

The Yellowstone Franchise Is Far From Finished

Taylor Sheridan may have completed the Yellowstone story as he always envisioned despite the change of plans with Kevin Costner’s departure after Season 5A. The series executive producer, Christina Alexandra Voros, revealed in an interview with Variety that though she “never had a specific conversation” with Sheridan, she had “secondhand” knowledge from Sheridan’s conversations with the cast that the original plan for “the ultimate ending” was always to be “the loss of the patriarch and passing on the legacy,” which Yellowstone 5B still managed to achieve in the absence of Costner.