Taylor Sheridan‘s Yellowstone became a super-hit for Paramount but will end this year after the second half of its fifth and final season. While some fans are already mourning the loss, others are happy the show is bowing out before it “ruins its legacy.”
As reported by Dexerto, fans have been debating the show’s conclusion and whether or not a sixth season would have been a success. Sheridan decided to end the popular ranch drama last year amid behind-the-scenes conflicts and scheduling disputes with the show’s lead star, Kevin Costner.
“Honestly it’s for the best, too many seasons can ruin a show’s legacy,” one fan wrote on the Yellowstone Reddit forum. “See The Walking Dead going 12 seasons and ending with little excitement vs Breaking Bad ending in 5.”
The same commenter added, “Why then are we busting to see the rest of S5? Do you think it should have just died at its peak?”
Another viewer argued, “Peak was about Season 2. Maybe 3.”
“Somewhere out there is a very early interview with Sheridan in the first weeks of the show (Yellowstone) where he was asked how long the show might run and he responded that it was intended to be 2 to 3 seasons long,” claimed another. “Then the popularity hit, the money started flowing and the train started slipping off the tracks.”
Yellowstone premiered on June 20, 2018, and continued to grow in viewership with each subsequent season. The show follows the Dutton family, owners of the largest ranch in Montana, and their conflicts with the bordering Broken Rock Indian Reservation, Yellowstone National Park, and developers.
“There’s way too few shows that we can agree they didn’t drag for more seasons than they should have. Yellowstone had a change after season 3 and it’s obvious,” wrote another fan. “My biggest problem with the show is that there’s no progress in the characters at all. They’re exactly the same as they were in S1. Rip got laid and he got more mellow. Everyone else is the same like in season 1.”
“Honestly the way season 5 part 1 went, you could leave it at that because half the cast went to Texas and the rest stayed. Let it hang on a mystery,” suggested another.
Another frustrated fan wrote, “I don’t know when or how it should have ended, but all this BTS drama is not making me want to tune in for the rest of S5. The mere fact that season 5 was split in 2 and a year and a half later they haven’t even started production on part 2, is ridiculous.”
They added, “Yellowstone is a show that could have easily worked for 6 or 7 seasons, had Sheridan not taken up so many other projects while refusing to have a writing team on hand.”
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However, there were others happy to keep watching the show and believe it had the potential for more seasons. “I think a series can go a bit longer if it has good writing and direction. I think Yellowstone can successfully go to 7 seasons,” said one comment.
Meanwhile, another added, “Season 5 seemed like cruise control but had it’s moments here and there. I’ll be first in line to see the return of Season 5 but I will admit that this gigantic gap, the infighting, the lack of focus the last 2 seasons will pretty much demand a solid finish.”
In November 2023, Paramount Network officially announced that Yellowstone would air its final instalment in November 2024.
Despite Yellowstone coming to a close, Chris McCarthy, President/CEO, Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios, promised two new spinoffs, 1944 and 2024, which “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.”
