Yellowstone Season 6 Finally Arrives Next Month After a 2-Year Wait

Dutton Ranch picks up after the events of the Yellowstone series finale, following Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler as they establish a new ranch. The upcoming sequel series may have a different name and only some of the main characters, but it is essentially the sixth season of Yellowstone that never aired during the show’s original run. Picking up the Dutton family saga, the new Yellowstone series is the first direct continuation of the original series in Taylor Sheridan’s growing television universe. While speaking with Collider, Marshals and Dutton Ranch director Greg Yaitanes addressed the likelihood of either Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) showing up in Dutton Ranch or Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) showing up in Marshals. Based on the premises of the two series, Yaitanes thinks the former is more likely:

“That’s a really good question. We talked about that a lot because each wanted to be on the other show. I feel like Kayce should go to Dutton Ranch. That feels like something that I would lose my sh*t over as a fan. That would be pretty cool. I just don’t know, in the world of what Marshals is, if Beth coming in would fit into that quite as well. Kayce would just naturally fold into Dutton Ranch because there’s a tonal similarity to the original Yellowstone. A lot of the people involved with Dutton Ranch really felt like they were making Yellowstone Season 6. Marshals is much more genre and guns-forward and those kinds of cool things.”

While Marshals picks up Kayce Dutton’s story after the events of Yellowstone, it is a stark departure from the show’s typical format. The series premiered in March and follows Kayce as he returns to his role as a U.S. Marshal after the death of his beloved wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille). Marshals is technically a sequel to Yellowstone, but it is clear from the show’s premise and storyline that it was never a part of the original plan for the Dutton family saga. Kayce’s story is entirely original to the franchise, taking the form of a police procedural series rather than the typical neo-Western theme of its fellow Yellowstone projects. In contrast, Dutton Ranch appears to play by the rules of the Yellowstone franchise as a direct successor to the original series. This means that it has the opportunity to incorporate some of the storylines that Taylor Sheridan originally planned to include in Yellowstone Season 6 but was forced to abandon as a result of the show’s early conclusion.

While audiences may never know exactly what Taylor Sheridan had planned for Yellowstone Season 6, Dutton Ranch should be a good indication of what might have happened in the show’s original final season. Rip and Beth’s storyline in the upcoming sequel series is most likely an updated version of what their arc might have been in the scrapped Season 6. This potentially includes their lives on a new ranch of their own and their continued journey as parents to their adoptive son, Carter (Finn Little). While not everything from Dutton Ranch is lifted from Yellowstone‘s cancelled final season, it’s fair to assume that a large chunk of the spinoff series is inspired by Sheridan’s original plans for his neo-Western hit.

What Did Taylor Sheridan Cut From Yellowstone’s Finale?

Image via Paramount

Taylor Sheridan has never directly revealed what he planned to include in Yellowstone‘s cancelled sixth season. The series infamously pivots hard in its fifth season, breaking into an all-out sprint to the finish line when John Dutton is assassinated in the governor’s mansion at the beginning of the midseason premiere. This leads into a messy final few episodes as Yellowstone scrambles to complete all of its storylines ahead of a hasty finale, wherein the surviving Duttons decide to sell their ancestral ranch back to Thomas Rainwater and the Broken Rock Reservation. Yellowstone‘s ending was infamously rushed as a result of Kevin Costner’s disagreements with Taylor Sheridan and CBS. Evidently, the actor’s feelings about John Dutton differed from the plans that Sheridan had for the character, leading to a bitter feud that worked out poorly for everyone. When Costner chose not to return for the second half of Season 5, the decision was made to end the series altogether one season earlier than expected.

It’s safe to assume that most of the basic plot points for Yellowstone Season 6 were included in Season 5, albeit shortened versions thereof. Taylor Sheridan has hinted that it was always the plan to kill off John Dutton before the series finale, though this most likely would not have happened as early as it did. John’s death may have happened in the Season 5 finale, leaving his children to pick up the pieces in the sixth and final season. Yellowstone was also most likely going to end with the remaining Duttons finally abandoning the ranch that they fought so hard to maintain throughout the series. This is really the only satisfying way to end the Duttons’ story, especially when the show makes it clear that, so long as they own the land, they will continue to face opponents who want to take it from them. However, the original plans for Yellowstone would have worked up to this decision much more slowly, with an entire extra season of buildup. It would have been terrific to see Taylor Sheridan’s original Yellowstone plans play out in full. Unfortunately, what fans were left with was a rushed version of what was already planned. The fifth season suffered greatly as a result of the shifting plans and cancelled sixth season, but still managed to stick the landing by the final episode. With new shows like Dutton Ranch on the horizon, Sheridan can finally incorporate ideas that he was forced to cut from Yellowstone Season 6.

Dutton Ranch Sets Up the Future of the Yellowstone Franchise

Image via Paramount.

Dutton Ranch does much more than adapt abandoned plans for Yellowstone Season 6; it also sets up the future of Taylor Sheridan’s hit television universe. The Rip and Beth-centered spinoff follows the iconic couple as they set up a new life for themselves on a ranch of their own. This gives the Dutton family a fresh start that could easily play out over multiple seasons. While this land is no longer the ancestral home they once fiercely defended, the Duttons will no doubt face new opposition and enemies in the next stage of their journey. With Marshals already renewed for a second season, Dutton Ranch will most likely continue for several years as well. After moving beyond the abandoned plans for Yellowstone Season 6, the sequel series will finally adapt new stories that expand the Dutton family saga beyond Sheridan’s original storylines. There may be enough room for these shows to explore concepts and narratives that could never have been adapted in the original series. This pairs nicely with the recent release of The Madison, a Yellowstone spinoff that is completely detached from the drama of the Duttons. The Michelle Pfeiffer-led series proves that Yellowstone is a much broader universe than the original series let on, leaving room for new family sagas to play out over multiple years. It’s a brand new day for Yellowstone​​​​​​, as new shows pave a path forward for Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western universe. Dutton Ranch is only the beginning of the new era for the Dutton family and for Yellowstone as a whole.

Dutton Ranch Season 1 premieres on May 15.