The exciting trailer for Yellowstone‘s high-stakes fifth season is finally here, and any idea of preparedness we had for the future went right out the window of John Dutton’s new office.
The Dutton family has taken fans on the ride of their lives since the first episode debuted in 2018, and the horse has yet to stop bucking. From the trails on the ranch to the mountains in the distance, there’s still so much of Yellowstone we’ve yet to explore, and season five will explore incredible highs and devastating depths for the Duttons and those they play ball with.
As John Dutton assumes his new role as Governor of Montana, Beth steps up as his chief of staff, and the rest of the Duttons fall into place or struggle with keeping distance; they’re all facing angels and demons in the mirror. Secrets will be revealed in season five, rules will be broken, and the cast is speaking out about what we should be preparing for when the new episodes kick off this November.
If you’re trying to keep track of all the exciting foreshadowing cast members have done, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a look at everything the stars of Yellowstone have said about the surprising upcoming episodes.
Taylor Sheridan says it’s all a significant game
Showrunner Taylor Sheridan is writing the magic we see play out in front of us each week. He knows where the characters are headed, what storylines are going to shock us, and which new faces at the ranch will make the biggest impact.
Sheridan also knows how to leave us feeling anxious. When talking about the upcoming fifth season, Sheridan says we have to look at the characters like they’re part of a chess game. Each is a piece that must be moved to keep going. Some will stay on the board, others will reign supreme, while some unfortunate pieces must fall — or be pushed off.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Sheridan said the following:
“If you look at everyone as a chess piece in Season 5, it is impossible to keep playing the game without taking chess pieces off the board.”
Here’s hoping those pieces we’ll lose aren’t the characters we love so much, but we know that this season will be about embracing the unexpected.
Kelly Reilly calls season five an emotional journey
Kelly Reilly plays the fierce and firey Beth Dutton, and she knows that the key to continuing the success of Yellowstone happens when everyone asks themselves an important question. In the same interview with ET, she shares what it is.
“How do we top it every year?”
The storyline has to get better with time, the characters must find new ways to grab our attention, and the beautiful thing about the series is that it all happens without seeming like a lot of effort is required at all.
Reilly also spoke about what the future looks like for Beth and Rip, and she says that he’s the one place in the world that makes sense for her. Both Reilly and Hauser shared quotes about their on-screen marriage with EW.
“Beth has always been devoted to Rip. Marriage does not change her. I think his love for her and hers for him is one of the very few things that keeps her demons at arm’s length (mostly).”
Talk about the romance of our dreams — the kind that silences our demons.
Luke Grimes teases an emotional game of tug-o-war
Luke Grimes spoke with EW during the same interview with Reilly and Hauser, and he spoke about where Kayce Dutton is when we see him again in season five.
Fans know he was on a spiritual journey during season four and saw something heart-wrenching. While it’ll take some time for us to uncover just what that is, we know it’ll be on the horizon.
“When you meet him [in season 5], he’s off the ranch. He’s sort of almost happy. He seems like he likes his little life on the res with the family. But as the story progresses, you realize he can’t stay away for too long. Something calls him to take care of that legacy.”
The legacy or the love of his life, both sides of his heart are at war with one another, and in a perfect world, it wouldn’t be so hard. Kayce has been through a lot, and we’re hoping that this year, the two sides of his personality and his heart can come together. He deserves to find some peace; they all do.
Kevin Costner notes that season five has to be surprising
Kevin Costner is the man of the hour; in fact, he’s the man of every hour. He breathes life into patriarch John Dutton, and he does so with so many emotions all at once. John is solid and confident. At the same time, he’s nervous and unsteady; he’s a father, a ranch owner, and now a governor too. He wears many hats, and he looks good in all of them, but his favorite is the one that surprises fans.
The key to Yellowstone’s longevity is just that, surprise, and in the chat mentioned above with ET, Costner shared the idea in which he approaches the series.
“You’ve got to kind of keep your foot on the gas, if it doesn’t surprise you, it’s very unlikely that it will surprise an audience.”
After seeing that official trailer, surprised is an understatement for what we’re feeling.
Lainey Wilson says her character is a lot like someone we all know and love
In an interview with SiriusXM’s The Highway, Lainey Wilson opened up about her character, Abby, who is headed to Yellowstone.
Sheridan is a friend of Wilson’s, so when he offered her a spot on the series, he did so in a way that honored who Wilson is as a musician, person, and talent.
“Taylor Sheridan called me in February; I’ve known him for three or four years, he called and just said, ‘I want to create a character specifically for you.’ He said, ‘I don’t want you to change anything I just want you to pretty much get up there, wear what you wear, and sing your songs, and be you,’ and I was like, ‘I can do that. Yeah.'”
Being hand-picked by the showrunner to all but play yourself on Yellowstone? It’s evident that Lainey Wilson has something special she’s bringing to the ranch, and we can’t wait to see it.
Jefferson White says being on Yellowstone is like being part of a family
Jefferson White plays Jimmy on Yellowstone, the ranch hand that was given a second chance at the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch and a third and fourth chance too. Not everyone receives that kind of treatment from Dutton, and he soon realizes that the decisions he was making were the kind that could threaten his future at the Yellowstone.
In fact, it did. Jimmy got back on a horse after John specifically guided him away from being a cowboy. That choice not only ended up with him getting hurt; it ended up with him getting sent out to a Texas ranch.
The decision wasn’t one he was very accepting of at first, but he did become a cowboy and a darn good one at that. He’s tough, he’s careful, and he’s got more confidence about him now.
In a podcast interview with Elliot Langridge, he shared that the Yellowstone experience is a “rare privilege” and that it’s not something he takes for granted. A lot like Jimmy, he understands the beauty of being part of the Yellowstone.
“Yellowstone has been it’s such a rare privilege to get to leave and come back and leave and come back and sort of continue to work with the same people with the same crew like it’s such a family at this point. Over the course of five years. You know, we’ve been making the show for like five or six years now. So it’s such a rare gift to get to come back to that family every summer you know?”
We hope the next six years keep the Yellowstone family coming back for more; we’ll be here for them.
Forrie J. Smith says fans will be asking an important question
Forrie J. Smith, who plays our beloved ranch hand, Lloyd Pierce, spoke at an event for Houston’s Petset, and he shared a fundamental question that fans will be asking when season five debuts.
“Everybody’s gonna be going, ‘what the he–‘”
Of course, that’s not a rare question for Yellowstone fans to ask; we probably do it a few times an episode. However, there’s more to it right now. Smith isn’t the only one who said we’ll be shocked with season five, and many have pointed to the premiere as a big surprise.
With the official trailer premiere, we now know that we’ll be living after a time jump when we return to the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, as John Dutton is swearing in as Governor. We’re not sure about how much we’ll miss during the in-between — oh, and where is that furnace we saw black bags being thrown into during the trailer?
Okay, so maybe we have a lot of questions. Looks like Smith was right, we’re already asking ourselves what the he — is going on, and the season doesn’t kick off until November.
Cole Hauser teases epic slow burns and romance
Cole Hauser has shared a few bits of insight into the fifth season, specifically in terms of his marriage to Beth Dutton. The pair tying the knot wasn’t just a highlight of season four; it was a fan-favorite moment throughout the entire series.
Beth and Rip have been intricately connected since they were young, having been thrust into each other’s lives like a freight train speeding down the tracks. They were young, angry, and they found love within one another.
That love has grown and flourished into something almost otherworldly, and Hauser and Reilly love it as much as fans do. Speaking to EW, he recently shared that he can’t wait for fans to see how Rip provides solace to Beth this season.
“What I like about what [Taylor Sheridan] wrote is that he slow burns this year with me and Beth. In the beginning, there’s some wonderful moments between the two of us, some stuff that she’s going through in her past, that she’s having to acknowledge for the first time, and me trying to help her through that.”
Fans also know that Beth has been keeping some big secrets, and we can’t wait to find out how it all unfolds with these two next season. If you’re a fan of Rip and Beth, you’ll also be happy to find out that Hauser alluded to something fascinating in an interview last week: you can find out what here.
When does season five premiere?
Yellowstone returns on Nov. 13 with a two-hour television event, and after seeing the official trailer, a “television event” feels a lot like an understatement.
With stakes higher than ever, a family with more enemies than they’ve ever known, and a space for happily ever after and romance to still exist, well — this season will have something for every type of fan. Here’s to Yellowstone.