Taylor Sheridan does not seem at all discouraged by the departure of Yellowstone leading man Kevin Costner. The prolific writer has a ton of shows to keep his cowboy-oriented fires burning, and even when it comes to the original Yellowstone series itself, John Dutton already seems an afterthought. Paramount recently announced that the flagship series would air its final episodes (and no one knows whether Costner will be back or if his character will simply be written out of existence) beginning in November 2024.
From there, the storyline could shift into the 6666 series, or it could go to one of the newly announced spinoffs. Yes, there will be more beyond the already-aired 1883 (with Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Billy Bob Thornton) and continuing 1923 (starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren), and god only knows that Sheridan has plenty of non-Yellowstone fare coming, too. That includes Lawmen: Bass Reeves premiering in November 2023 with David Oyelowo in the title role and the upcoming Land Man with Billy Bob Thornton.
What’s next? There shall be a mystery spinoff called 1944 and one that we know a little bit more about, 2024. Let’s talk out what we’ve heard so far.
Plot
Sheridan is keeping his cards close to his sleeve at the moment, although it would make sense if this became the confirmed Matthew McConaughey-starring spinoff, which was also ambiguously described as being a “franchise extension to continue the Dutton saga.” It would also be convenient (for crossovers and such) if this series filmed at the “Four Sixes,” i.e. the recently-acquired (by Taylor Sheridan) real-life 6666 Ranch near Guthrie, Texas. There’s surely enough room to host both 6666 and 2024 on the same land, given that 6666 is the size of two Chicagos. One can also imagine that Sheridan did some daydreaming about 2024 during the Hollywood downtime this year due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes.
As Variety points out, chatter also suggests that this is the “contemporary series” that is meant to star Matthew McConaughey. This hasn’t been confirmed as of yet, but we’ll be watching for updates.
Cast
As mentioned already, this could be the McConaughey-Yellowstone show that the actor described as an “awesome vacation” and essentially a dream come true for the Ulvade, Texas native. He added, “I think good acting emulates life. Real life is where this stuff comes from.”
Who else? Variety does report that “an individual with knowledge of the series” let it slip that there will be “crossover characters” in 2024 along with new members of the Dutton family soap-opera saga. Certainly, there’s still more than enough audience demand to support this blend of old-and-new cowboy drama.
Release Date
When will this show debut on Paramount+ and possibly the Paramount Network, too? The release date shall remain a mystery for the moment, but 2024 is expected to go into production in (when else?) 2024, so perhaps there will be a quick turnaround and realized release date before, you know, it turns into 2025. Fingers crossed.
Trailer
Consider this spot a placeholder. We will certainly post the trailer for 2024 when it arrives, but for now, here’s a Paramount+ video that shows Sheridan talking about other future series, including Land Men and (of course) Lawmen: Bass Reeves. Has Sheridan cloned himself to be able to pull all of these shows off? Only he knows for sure.
Fingers crossed for a 2024 release date soon.
