Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Universe has been in limbo ever since the mid-season finale of the fifth season of the mothership series Yellowstone aired in January of 2023. The exact date of the release of the second part of the fifth season has still not been revealed. There have been two spinoff series called 1883 and 1923. Since the end of 1883, fans have been clamoring for a second season of the series, which audiences received very well. But creator Taylor Sheridan and the studio heads at Paramount had differing views regarding the continuation of the series.
Taylor Sheridan Wanted a Proper Story Told in a Limited Series for 1883
As revealed by creator Taylor Sheridan in an interview with Deadline, he and Paramount studio head Bob Bakish argued about the end of 1883 and the future of the spinoff series going forward. It seems Sheridan had planned 1883 as a limited series where the overall story could be told and character arcs would be resolved in a one-season format. This did not sit well with the head of the studio as Sheridan explains Bakish’s reaction after reading the script for 1883‘s finale saying,
“I heard Bob Bakish watched it and said, ‘Wait a minute, she dies! They all die? What do we do in season two?’ I said, there is no season two. They’re like, there better be a fu*king season two because we already picked it up. I’m sitting here going, guys, everyone is dead”
It seems that the heads at Paramount had already picked up 1883 for a second season. But Sheridan had already completed the story of 1883 in one season itself. Thus, there was a clear difference between the creator of the series and the heads of the studio producing it regarding the scope and future of the series.
Creator VS Studio Frequently Happens when the IP is Big
This example of the creator and the studio having differences regarding the future of a successful product is constantly seen in other big studios and their developers too with IPs like Star Wars Marvel or DC. This had led to many big profile projects in both TV and films either not reaching the desired standards or emerging as flops at the box office. The studios see a successful product as a financial money maker for the studio in the case of films or a brand that will bring in new subscribers for their streaming platform.
On the other hand, the creators have a clear-cut vision for a particular story and will carry out their narrative arcs at whatever length they require, be it a single season or multiple ones. They do not care about financial gain or subscribers as long as their product is watched and appreciated by those who have watched it.
The Future of Yellowstone
The future of the Yellowstone universe seems bright despite the uncertainty of the fate of the flagship series added to recent tensions between the lead actor Kevin Costner and creator Taylor Sheridan. The prequel spinoffs 1883 and 1923 were received very well by audiences. 1923 is returning for a second season. Plus additional spinoffs were also announced including, one from 1883 called Lawmen: Bass Reeves and a present-day spinoff called 6666. After the end of the fifth season, Yellowstone will be followed by a sequel series starring Matthew McConaughey.
All 5 seasons of Yellowstone, the first seasons of 1883 and 1923 are streaming on Paramount+.