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After two excruciating years, “Yellowstone” is returning in all its glory.
The juggernaut TV series is expected to outpace its season 5 ratings performance, when it was the top-performing series of the year. Now that it’s ending, there is sure to be an even larger audience drawn to season 5 part 2, as well.
Because of this, many who are looking to get into “Yellowstone” might find themselves in a tough spot. Can they start watching season 5 part 2 without having watched the rest of the series? What about all those spinoffs?
While it is recommended to watch the show as intended, here‘s a quick recap of some of the major highlights of the series, along with a look at where and how you can watch.
“Yellowstone” started airing on Paramount Network in 2018 as a modern take on the traditional Western/cowboy narrative.
The series follows an intense — and often violent — border dispute in Montana between the Dutton family cattle ranch, a group of encroaching land developers, and a Native American reservation. As the series progresses, its scope expands with the Dutton family trying to assert their dominance in the arena of state politics.
The series is created by Taylor Sheridan. Sheridan himself has acting credits including “Sons of Anarchy” and “Veronica Mars‚” and he’s written the screenplays for several films, including “Sicario” and “Hell or High Water.”
Kevin Costner plays John Dutton III, the widowed patriarch of the Dutton family and the series’ central character. He also happens to be the Montana Livestock Commissioner. As the series continues, the conflicts regarding the Dutton family ranch become more complex, drawing John further into the politics of Montana.
Wes Bentley plays Jamie Dutton, John’s adopted son and a driven, focused social climber intent on rising through the ranks of the Montana political scene. His relationship with his sister, Beth, is particularly venomous and only becomes worse over time.
Kelly Reilly plays Beth Dutton, the only daughter of the Dutton family. She is a financier and is intensely loyal to the family, particularly her father. While she is extremely intelligent and crafty, her own abrasive personality is one of the largest hurdles she struggles to overcome. She has a complicated relationship with Rip Wheeler and constantly clashes with Jamie.
Luke Grimes plays Kayce Dutton, a former Navy SEAL and the youngest of the Dutton siblings. He begins the series living on the Broken Rock Indian Reservation with his wife, Monica, and their son. His relationship with his father is strained by tensions between the Dutton family and the Native American Reservation.
Cole Hauser plays Rip Wheeler, the enforcer and fixer for the Dutton family. He is the right hand man of John, to whom he is fiercely loyal. His romantic relationship with Beth has been complicated since they were teenagers. Rip comes from an extremely troubled background and the Dutton family provides him with a source of stability.
Kelsey Asbille plays Monica Long Dutton, Kayce’s wife. She begins the series as a local schoolteacher on the reservation.
Gil Birmingham plays Chief Thomas Rainwater, the leader of Broken Rock Indian Reservation. As chief, he is in frequent conflict with the Dutton family, whose ranch he believes was wrongfully taken from the Native Americans.
“Yellowstone” will return to complete its 5th and final season on Sunday, November 10, 2024. These will be the final 6 episodes of the series, which means there will be no “Yellowstone” season 6.
“Yellowstone” airs on the Paramount Network.
It will air at 8 p.m., which has been its airtime since the beginning of its run.
Because “Yellowstone” is a Paramount Network exclusive, this might lead you to believe that it is available to stream on Paramount Plus, but that is not the case.
The series has a complicated streaming arrangement (which precedes its explosive popularity), which means it will not be available on Paramount Plus for the foreseeable future. Instead, exclusive streaming rights to “Yellowstone” belong to Peacock.
The streaming service offers the first five seasons of the show on-demand, with the second half of season 5 to release some time after it begins airing.
In Season 5 of “Yellowstone,” the growing conflict between Jamie and the rest of the Dutton family came to a head. John, the governor of Montana, and Jamie, Montana’s attorney general, have each called for investigations into each other.
When Beth threatens to reveal Jamie’s involvement in the death of Randall, his biological father, by exposing where he dumped the body, she learns a terrible truth. The family has been using the same location, the “Train Station,” to dispose of their murdered enemies for a long time. Any action she brings against Jamie will damage John, too.
Beth attempts to convince John that maybe Jamie should be disposed of in the same place. But while she is pleading her case, Jamie has anticipated her murderous intent and is moving to thwart her.
Here’s a look at a comprehensive recap of Seasons 1-4 of “Yellowstone,” courtesy of the show’s official YouTube channel:
The sole season of “1883″ is only available on Paramount Plus. There is nowhere else to watch the series. The same is true of “1923.”
You can sign up for Paramount Plus on the streaming service’s website. Currently, Paramount Plus features two subscription plans: a “limited commercials” option for $6 per month ($60 annually), and a premium “no commercials” option for $12 per month ($120 annually). You can try out either tier with a full 7-day free trial.
Paramount Plus will also be the home of upcoming “Yellowstone” spinoffs such as “1944,” the sequel to “1923,” and present-day spinoff “6666.”
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Joseph Rejent covers TV, writing about live television, streaming services and cord-cutting. He can be reached at [email protected].
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