The Yellowstone finale left the door 'wide open'. What happens next?

This article contains spoilers for the Yellowstone Season 5B Finale. 

Cowboy hats, horses, and Beth Dutton: it's the show that captivated viewers for six years and five seasons, but now Yellowstone has finally come to an end. However… the door was left 'wide open' in the Season 5B finale. 

"Taylor Sheridan has left the door wide open for any number of stories," Executive Producer Christina Voros told The Hollywood Reporter. "It could be the end of the fairytale or it could be the beginning of another tragedy."

The finale, and entire second-half of the fifth season, divided viewers. 

Some long-time fans accused creator Taylor Sheridan of inserting himself into the storyline over finishing off the plot in a way that honoured the series' many central characters.

Sheridan directed the final episode, as well as appearing in several episodes as horse trainer Trvais Wheatley. Along with making supermodel Bella Hadid his on-screen girlfriend, Sheridan also gave himself ample screen time. 

Some viewers felt jipped out of time with the Duttons and other key characters, as they watched what was described as 'The Taylor Sheridan Show'. 

"Taylor Sheridan put himself in too many scenes when he was not an integral part of the family," one viewer wrote on X (Twitter). 

Not only that, but the show's leading man, Kevin Costner — who starred as John Dutton — was killed off, after he quit the show amid claims he was left waiting on scripts and schedules.

John Dutton was killed off the series in Season 5B, after Kevin Costner quit the show due to scheduling conflicts. Image: Stan.

Costner said he kept Yellowstone a priority for more than a year, putting his film saga Horizon on hold as he waited for the final season's script and schedule. As a result of the delays, he only committed to Season 5A and was killed off at the start of Season 5B.

"Taylor Sheridan taking a victory lap on the back half of the final season of Yellowstone is hilarious. Totally makes sense why Kevin Costner passed on it," one fan wrote on X.

With John Dutton's sudden death, the death of another fan-favourite, Colby Mayfield, and the drama surrounding Sheridan's screen-time, it's safe to say there was a big buildup to the finale. While some fans were disappointed, others loved it and were left wanting more. The good news is, they're going to get it.

Yellowstone Season 5B finale, explained.

Drama, revenge, and death! That's what happened on the Yellowstone Season 5B finale that streamed on Stan.

John Dutton was finally laid to rest, with his funeral taking place on Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. He was buried next to his wife, Evelyn (Gretchen Mol), and their eldest child, Lee (Dave Annable).

"I will avenge you," his daughter Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) dramatically declared as the funeral came to a close, after learning her brother had played a part in their dad's death. And oh boy, did she avenge his death.

Following the funeral, her brother Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) was surprised to arrive home and find Beth waiting for him. With a tyre iron and some bear spray in hand, she attacked Jamie as he arrived, with a bloody battle playing out between the two on screen. Amid their fight, Beth revealed she'd sold the ranch to the reservation for just $1.25 an acre. 

"All your dreams, all your ambitions, just f***ing gone," she declared, triumphantly.

In his rage, he started attacking his sister once again — choking her — but he was pulled off by her partner, Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser), who then held him up as Beth stabbed him in the heart. 

"Look at me," Beth told her dying brother. "I'm going to be the last thing you'll ever see."

Big yikes!

After dumping Jamie's body in the family's secret 'train station' filled with dead enemies, the couple set it up so that police believed he had 'fled' the home after attacking his sister. 

Kayce and Beth Dutton agreed to sell Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, for $1.25 an acre. Image: Stan.

As mentioned, the family also sold the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.

Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) and Beth agreed to sell the ranch to Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham), the Chairman of the Confederated Tribes of Broken Rock.

The land was sold for $1.25 an acre, the original price the Dutton ancestors had paid. This took the total price for the 'largest ranch in Montana' to just $1.1 million. 

"Your people are buried on that land, and so are mine. It's sacred, and that's how we will treat it." Rainwater said of the sale. "So your family forever has a home here."

Kayce and his family kept a small section of the land to live on quietly, while Beth, Rip, and Carter (Finn Little) moved to another ranch in remote Montana.

With a new world on the horizon for Rip and Beth, it seems they will ride off into the sunset (and a spin-off series). 

What happens next? Inside the Beth and Rip spinoff rumours.

Ahead of the season finale, it was reported by multiple outlets that a spin-off was in the works — but Executive Producer Christina Voros remains suspiciously vague in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

"I think [Taylor Sheridan] has left the door wide open for any number of stories to come out of that romance, and because people are in love with them, I think an audience would be interested in seeing whatever story that would become," Volos said. "Because ultimately, when you have interesting, complicated characters, especially those with dark secrets, something interesting is going to happen. And I think what he has done with the way he ends the show, it could be the end of the fairytale or it could be the beginning of another tragedy. You just don't know."

She added: "I do not pretend for one moment to understand the inner workings of Taylor's mind. I think the way that he has chosen to tell certain stories at any given moment is some kind of wild alchemy that no one can pretend to have a roadmap for. I'm not trying to understand that machine, I'm trying to be a part of what that machine makes for as long as he will let me."

All the Yellowstone spin-offs in the works.

While the creators might be keeping mum on a potential spin-off for Beth and Rip, we do know there are multiple new spin-off episodes on the way.

Michelle Pfieffer will lead the follow-up series The Madison (previously titled 2024), alongside Matthew Fox, Patrick J. Adams, Beau Garrett, Ben Schnetzer, Amiah Miller, and Elle Chapman. The Madison's official plot description reveals it's "a heartfelt study of grief and human connection following a New York City family in the Madison River valley of central Montana."

Along with a present-day spin-off, we can also expect to travel back in time for two additional seasons.

Following the success of 1883, which told the origin story of the Dutton family and Yellowstone Ranch, Sheridan created 1923.

The show was a smash-hit when it premiered, and the second season will be released in February 2025. Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, Brandon Sklenar will all reprise their roles. 

Watch the trailer for 1923 Season 2. Story continues below.

Also in 2025, we'll be introduced to a new generation of Duttons with another prequel series titled 1944. 

For those playing along at home, the chronological order of the Yellowstone cinematic universe goes: 1883, 1923, 1944, Yellowstone, The Madison.

Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios, said he was thrilled to continue telling stories from the Dutton family tree.

"On the heels of 1883 and 1923's success, our new planned spinoffs, 1944 and 2024, will take audiences on a thrilling, new and unexpected journey with the complex and compelling storytelling that has become a hallmark of the franchise and has helped turn it into a worldwide cultural phenomenon thanks to the creative mastermind of Taylor Sheridan."

You can stream all five seasons of Yellowstone on Stan. You can stream 1883 and 1923 on Paramount Plus.

Feature Image: Stan.