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There’s a new governor in town. Yellowstone is entering a new era of good versus evil, but there are still plenty of cowboys and wild horses roaming free. The Taylor Sheridan neo-western family drama kicked off its fifth season on Sunday, November 13, and cable’s number one most-watched series didn't disappoint. Kevin Costner has traded in his cowboy boots to become governor of Montana, and his children will remain at his side as they battle new villains to uphold their legacy over the Yellowstone ranch. As we enter uncharted territory among familiar green pastors, here is everything you need to know about Season 5, from the trailer to new and returning cast members, juicy plot lines, and more.
Watch the Bottle Breaking, Dramatic Trailer for Yellowstone Season 5
The wild west is back and more unlawful than ever in the Season 5 trailer for Yellowstone. A rite of passage at this point within the Montana landscape, bottles are shattered overheads in bars once more as the Dutton children go to war for their father. The trailer begins in a dramatic fashion as John Dutton is sworn in as Governor of Montana amidst dirty deals and revenge plotting gets underway in backrooms. Business tycoon Caroline Warner is back and seething for control, fights are still breaking out in the bunkhouse, and the trailer teaches that power always comes with a price. Beth remains her father’s main warrior in pursuit of ultimate power, and Kayce and Jamie are also seen in the trailer battling their own demons, from family drama to the changing tides in the Dutton dynasty.
When and Where to Watch and Stream Yellowstone Season 5
Yellowstone Season 5 premiered on the Paramount Network on Sunday, November 13 with the episode “One Hundred Years is Nothing”. It is only available to watch live on the Paramount Network with the appropriate cable subscription, and each episode will be aired weekly on Sundays through its finale. After episodes have aired, they will be made available for purchase on iTunes, Amazon Video, and Vudu. Viewers who do not have access to the Paramount network can also pre-purchase the entire season on iTunes, Amazon Video, and Vudu in advance of its premiere. During its run, Season 5 will not be made available to stream Peacock despite Seasons 1-4 streaming on it. After Season 5 has finished airing, all episodes will then be made available to watch on Peacock. Yellowstone fans are also in for a treat this season, as there will be a total of 14 episodes versus previous seasons that have clocked in at 10, and the season will be split into two chapters.
Cast and Characters: Who’s Returning and New Faces
Kevin Costner is back in the saddle as the family patriarch, John Dutton, and he’s taking on a new role this season. While keeping his duties as the owner of the Yellowstone ranch, Dutton will also be taking on an even bigger job, Governor of Montana. The shocking revelation came back in Season 4 after discussions with former Governor, Lynelle Perry (Wendy Moniz). Costner also serves as an executive producer behind the scenes and has been one of the western film genre’s greatest faces for the past 25 years. Making his breakthrough with Silverado in 1985 as wild outlaw Jake, Jake, he’s continued to play cowboys and explorers, most notably in his Oscar-winning film, Dances with Wolves (1990). Though Costner may be seen for most of the season working behind a desk and shaking hands, rest assured Yellowstone will not keep him from doing what he does best, riding horses and chasing bad guys.
The rest of the Dutton family is also making their return. Scene stealer Kelly Reilly (Pride & Prejudice) is expectedly raising hell as Beth Dutton, and she’s made even more enemies heading into Season 5 than ever before. She’s also now Mrs. Beth Dutton, as she's finally tied the knot to her long-time partner Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser). Luke Grimes is back as the reserved, youngest Dutton sibling, Kayce, and he will be posed with a difficult choice of whether he will leave his new family on the reservation to return to Yellowstone, or ultimately turn his back on them. And then there is black sheep of the family, Jamie Dutton, played by Wes Bentley (American Horror Story). Now fighting for his family once again, he remains at war with his sister Beth and is under her thumb after she blackmails him into murder during the Season 4 finale.
The rest of the series regulars are all returning, including Kelsey Asbille (Fargo) as Kayce’s wife, Monica Dutton, Cole Hauser as fan favorite Rip Wheeler, Gil Birmingham (Hell or High Water) as Thomas Rainwater, Finn Little (Those Who Wish Me Dead) as the orphan Cole, Moses Brings Plenty (The Good Lord Bird) as Mo, Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook) as Caroline Warner, and Piper Perabo (Covert Affairs) as Summer Higgins. Card games and downing beers will also be returning thanks to the Bunkhouse, with the return of Ian Bohen (Teen Wolf), Denim Richards (Good Trouble), Ryan Bingham, Forrie J. Smith, and Jen Landon (As the World Turns), who’s been elevated to series regular. Jefferson White (Blindspot) as Jimmy Hurdstrom will noticeably be absent as a series regular, as he is now off to Texas to work at the 6666 ranch with his fiancé, Emily (Kathryn Kelly) in the Taylor Sheridan spin-off series 6666.
New cast members include Kai Caster (American Horror Story) as the new cowboy Rowdy, Lainey Wilson as the musician Abby, Lilli Kay (Chambers) as the new Dutton assistant Clara Brewer, and Dawn Olivieri (1883) as “corporate shark” Sarah Atwood.
General Plot for Season 5 and What to Expect in Yellowstone Season 5
While in previous seasons the fate of the Dutton family has been uncertain thanks to killer cliffhangers, Season 4 left off on a more reserved note. There were no battles, shoot-outs, or kidnappings to close out the season, making it easier for fans who’ve held their breath in terror, scared they’re favorites won’t return.
Nothing has changed yet, but nothing will remain the same in Season 5. The Yellowstone ranch remains in the Dutton’s grip, but the grip is loosening. As major corporations, the Broken Rock Indian Reservation, criminals, and more continue their fight to steal or reclaim the land, it’s getting more uncertain if the Duttons will be able to hold on. While Yellowstone has become beloved for its bunkhouse banter, roping rodeos, and romances, those aspects may take a backseat in Season 5 as we’re getting down to the wire in terms of who will come out victorious as owners of the Yellowstone ranch. But don’t worry, there will still be plenty of love triangles, tribulations, and heartbreak in Season 5.
Throughout Season 4, the series dropped multiple hints that Kayce may be falling for another woman, Avery (Tanaya Beatty), and the finale all but confirmed it. After running into Avery on the reservation and the two sharing an obvious chemistry, Kayce hallucinates seeing her during his vision quest in the last two episodes of Season 4. When his wife Monica asks him what he saw during while he was away, he responds that he “saw the end of us.” Many fans have theorized he saw the end of his marriage due to his visions of Avery, and expect that to be a major plot point for Kayce in Season 5.
Speaking of marriages, audiences will be lucky enough to see Beth and Rip as a newlywed married couple. But as the two adjust to married life, they still have many battles to contend on their own as Beth has been accused of corporate espionage by her former boss, Caroline Weaver. Beth is also in an ongoing war with her brother and nemesis, Jamie Dutton, and she memorably blackmailed him into submission in the season finale by taking a photo of him dragging the dead body of his birth father, Garret Randall (Will Patton). Yet another murder Jamie has committed, the pair will likely work together in support of their father as the new Governor while hurling insults at one another.
Finally, as this is Yellowstone, there will be all the trademarks of the Western genre running throughout its veins. It’s what made the show a hit, to begin with, and there will still be cowboys on horses running through the mountains, rendezvous in stables, roping lessons, and more. Creator and writer Taylor Sheridan has hinted that Yellowstone is nearing the finishing line, and we may be witnessing the beginning of the end. If you need more cowboys and beautiful landscapes to satiate you’re western cravings, check out the Yellowstone prequel 1883 streaming on Paramount Plus, and the upcoming Taylor Sheridan-created western series, Tulsa King, which began streaming on Paramount Plus on November 13.