‘Without him, it is over’: 2 ‘Yellowstone’ stars might be returning for season 6 without Kevin Costner and fans are contemplating rebellion

Hits like Yellowstone don’t come around every day. In 2019, it was the most-watched cable show on TV for the second summer in a row, beating out House of the Dragon and the ever-popular Amazon’s The Boys. It seemed like the show was done after star Kevin Costner announced his exit, and the second part of season 5 was supposed to be a nice epilogue (albeit without him).

Now, it looks like that might not be the case as a potential season 6 is in the works with two of the show’s other main characters.

That’s right, it’s looking more and more likely that we’ll get a new season with Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser. The two have reportedly been at the negotiating table for a few months now, according to Deadline. The news surely helps to soothe the bitter pill that is Costner’s John Dutton leaving the series. It’s been confirmed that he won’t be back for Season 5’s second installment.

Yellowstone, for the uninitiated, tells the story of the Dutton family and the largest cattle ranch in America. Reilly plays Dutton’s daughter Beth and Hauser portrays the ranch’s foreman, named Rip Wheeler. Wheeler was taken in by Dutton after he murdered his stepfather in an attempt to save his mother from harm, with Dutton acting as a stand-in Dad.

The show is packed with intrigue and drama and often shows how the ranch is in constant flux with its neighbors, which include an Indian reservation, a town that’s only growing bigger by the day, and the namesake national park Yellowstone.

The ongoing negotiations with Reilly and Hauser were originally thought to be regarding a standalone series, but now there’s a good chance that won’t be the case. Of course, considering the show’s incredible popularity this development doesn’t seem like that much of a stretch.

In addition to the show and its various spin-offs, producer Taylor Sheridan wants to keep milking his cash cow with another spinoff called The Madison. That show is set to star Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell. For a while there, people were under the impression that Hauser and Reilly were in talks to star in that show, but that’s obviously not going to be the case if the rumors about Yellowstone season 6 hold any water.

This means Reilly and Hauser will stay where they are in the series with Russell and Pfeiffer handling the spin-off’s responsibilities. If true, we’ll continue to be able to get our Yellowstone fix for the foreseeable future, and that future is looking very bright indeed. That is, of course, if fans can get on board with a version of the show without their beloved and favorite Dutton.