Taylor Sheridan on the End of ‘Yellowstone’ — ‘I Know How It Ends. I’m Writing to That Ending’

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

• Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan reveals he knows how the show will end ahead of the season 4 finale.
• The 1883 creator has hinted that the show will end after season 6.
• Sheridan also opened up about what fascinates him about the western genre.

Yellowstone has now completed Season 5 and the state of the cast and season 6 may be in flux. Even if they can get Kevin Costner back, how much longer will the series go after that?

According to creator Taylor Sheridan, he already knows how Yellowstone ends. And, he’s “writing to that ending.”

The ‘Yellowstone’ creator has hinted the series will end after season 6

Yellowstone has told the story of sixth-generation rancher John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and his Montana cattle ranch. He’s been fighting to keep his land in the family, despite numerous conflicts with the Broken Rock Indian Reservation and numerous land developers.

While speaking to Deadline ahead of season 4, Sheridan explained that he could continue the Dutton storyline for another two seasons. But, this is not the kind of show that could go on indefinitely.

“You can’t walk in circles, waiting to get there, because the show will stagnate. So, you have to keep moving forward, and there have to be consequences in the world, and there has to be an evolution toward a conclusion,” Sheridan explained. “You have to move in a straight line toward that end.”

Taylor Sheridan doesn’t want to ‘cheapen the product’

Sheridan doesn’t think anyone in the Yellowstone cast and crew wants the show to be extended indefinitely because that would “cheapen the product.” The Texas native said he hadn’t had the conversation about the end of Yellowstone with the Paramount Network or the studio yet. But, he’s sure it’s coming.

“I would think that you would want this to end on an upswing as opposed to a plateau or a descent,” Sheridan explained.

The ‘Yellowstone’ creator knows how the Dutton’s story will end

With Yellowstone finding such massive success — not to mention the fact that the prequel, 1883, had the largest audience for a cable premiere since Fear the Walking Dead in 2015 — it would be easy to think that Sheridan would want to milk it for all it’s worth. But, the Oscar nominee has other plans.

He told The New York Times that he is writing to the end of the story that he already has in mind. And that means the show will end sooner rather than later.

“Well, I know how it ends. I’m writing to that ending. There’s only so much hovering one can do before the story starts to lose its locomotion; you can’t put it in neutral just because it’s successful. It will go as many years as it takes for me to tell the story, but you’re not going to see nine seasons of it. No way,” Sheridan said.

Taylor Sheridan loves the western genre

In addition to Yellowstone and 1883, Sheridan also has the spinoff 6666 in the works. That series is set at the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas, and fans have already had a glimpse of the location during Yellowstone season 4.

Sheridan says that he enjoys the western genre. He explained that he’s drawn to it because he’s spent most of his life living on ranches in the west. And those are the stories he wants to tell.

“I don’t limit myself. I’m drawn to the sparseness of the West because that’s where I’ve spent most of my life. I lived in New York for a while. I enjoyed my time there, but I would be an outsider writing about it. I like being outdoors,” Sheridan explained.

What fascinates the ‘Yellowstone’ creator?

Sheridan says that filming outdoors allows him to use the camera as a paintbrush, which is something he really enjoys. This is very obvious to Yellowstone viewers, as the cinematography and scenery of Montana’s wide-open spaces are nothing short of breathtaking.

“I just find it’s so rare that you get to see the vastness of this nation. For the time being, that’s what fascinates me the most,” Sheridan revealed.

Yellowstone season 5 aired on the Paramount Network. Previous Yellowstone seasons are available on Peacock.