Saddle up! Yellowstone is known for its family feuds, wild west antics and cowboy controversies — and the remaining season 5 episodes will continue to bring the drama.
“Love and family and, sort of, your tribe, your people — that’s a huge theme in the show,” Luke Grimes, who plays Kayce Dutton, teased during a May 8 interview with Entertainment Tonight. “With Kayce, he has a hard time choosing his relationship with his father versus his relationship with his wife and son.”
The “No Horse to Ride” crooner explained that the Dutton family turmoil fuels the series because “it matters to all of the characters.”
Grimes added: “That’s sort of where you get all of this really juicy drama, is that everyone is sort of fighting for their team. There’s no right team or wrong team. It’s just a bunch of people trying to figure out how to do what’s best for their own.”
The first half of Yellowstone’s final season finished airing in January, but the show was then held in limbo before Paramount confirmed on May 5 that the rest of season 5 would be the last for the western drama. While the second part of the season was set to air in summer 2023, it was reported that production delays and alleged tension between leading man Kevin Costner and creator Taylor Sheridan has pushed the show’s return back time and again.
After the Field of Dreams star was accused in February of being partially to blame for filming being off schedule. However, his lawyer, Marty Singer, quickly denied the allegations.
“The idea that Kevin was only willing to work one week on the second half of season 5 of Yellowstone is an absolute lie,” the attorney told Puck after the magazine published an exposé claiming his client was being difficult about the shooting plans. “It’s ridiculous — and anyone suggesting it shouldn’t be believed for one second.”
The Dances With Wolves actor, who portrays patriarch John Dutton on the Paramount series, is “also very disappointed by the delays,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly on May 10, noting that “the holdup is not coming from Kevin.”
One month prior, several cast members attended PaleyFest in Los Angeles and gave Us an update on whether they had resumed filming amid the headline-making delays. (The series also stars Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser and Kelsey Asbille as Beth Dutton, Jamie Dutton, Rip Wheeler and Monica Dutton, respectively.)
“We haven’t started, no,” Wendy Moniz, who plays Governor Lynelle Perry, exclusively told Us on April 1. “We know [Taylor] is writing and we’re looking forward to getting back.”
The Missouri native teased at the time that she was “along for this ride for as long as it goes,” calling Yellowstone “a dream job.”
Mo Brings Plenty, on the other hand, already had an idea of how he wants his character Mo’s story to end. “I would want my character to end up probably giving his life to protect something traditional,” he exclusively told Us at the TV event in April.
While the Yellowstone stars — and creator — have kept the ending under wraps, Lainey Wilson made it clear that she wants in on the final episodes.
“I’m waiting for that call,” the country songstress told ET on May 11, revealing she’d love to reprise her role as Abby before the show’s conclusion. “I’m like, ‘Y’all let me know when to be there and I’ll be there.’”
The “Watermelon Moonshine” singer exclusively told Us on April 2 that she became “best buddies” with Sheridan in 2018 and that bond eventually led to her part on the TV show. Wilson made her debut during the season 5 premiere in November 2022.
“He called me last February and he said, ‘I want to create a character specifically for you, and I want you to wear your bell bottoms,’” she recalled. “[He said] , ‘I want you to sing your own songs and be yourself but go by a musician named Abby.’”
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Scroll down to see what the Yellowstone cast has said about the final episodes of season 5 — and where they want their characters to end up:
