Big news Yellowstone fans: The Wall Street Journal reports that the hit Western series will be returning for an extended fifth season, splitting the upcoming episodes into two parts. ViacomCBS has just announced that Yellowstone’s fifth season will add four additional episodes, extending the upcoming season to fourteen episodes, which will be split into two installments, each consisting of seven episodes. The additional episodes and split format will also serve to promote series creator Taylor Sheridan‘s new spin-off shows, announced during the company’s recent investor call.
The fourth season of the hit series garnered record numbers of viewers, averaging over 10.4 million viewers on the Paramount Network. Telling the story of landowning dynasty the Duttons as they fend off threats to their land and family, the series already has one successful and star-studded spin-off in 1883, which details the Dutton’s journey westward on the frontier. 1883 features a loaded cast, including the iconic country duo Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
On the heels of the franchise’s success, ViacomCBS, which is rebranding as Paramount Global, will also be adding another prequel series to the mix, hoping to bring viewers to their streaming service, Paramount+. The new prequel, 1932, will follow the Duttons in the Depression era. It is expected that 1932 will take a similar route as 1883 in its method of bringing viewers into streaming. 1883 premiered its first two episodes in tandem with Yellowstone ,before pivoting to streaming exclusively.
Chris McCarthy, chief executive of ViacomCBS Media Networks and MTV Entertainment studios, said, “We want to double down on that momentum and not waste it.” However, McCarthy was quick to note that the quick move to expand the successful franchise wouldn’t come at the expense of the property’s narrative quality, stating, “We don’t want to damage the franchise.” The expansion also comes with a new deal for Sheridan, who recently signed a $200 million production deal with the company. News of the most recent prequel, 1932, was met with some trepidation, as the timeline for release is roughly ten months and, as The Wall Street Journal has reported, Sheridan is only currently in the outlining stages for a script.
Another series is on the docket for Sheridan‘s work with Paramount. Sylvester Stallone is set to head another spin-off series as an east coast mobster who makes his way west. The series will premiere in tandem with the first half of Yellowstone season 5 before moving to streaming. These new streaming aspects of the Yellowstone franchise are an attempt to make up for Yellowstone‘s lack of streaming presence.
via Collider