When will ‘Yellowstone’ Season 4 return? Here's what to expect from the Paramount show after Covid-19 break
Paramount series ‘Yellowstone’ ended with a bombshell cliffhanger — and the marquee attraction of the ensemble cast John Dutton's (Kevin Costner) life is in danger. Is he dead or alive? We do not have a clue where the plot might go from here and fans can't stop waiting for new episodes. Not just him, a lot of other characters’ fates are up in the air without a clue about what may happen.
Thankfully, Season 4 was greenlit ahead of the third season premiere this summer. However, no release date has been announced for the next installment yet and amid the coronavirus pandemic, the new season might be delayed. To top that, Paramount’s plans to rebrand and reorganize its network can bring a few changes for the hit TV show.
Explaining the news, president of entertainment Chris McCarthy told Variety: “We’re doubling down on scripted but diversifying with made for TV movies, mini-series and blockbuster series with movie stars like Yellowstone. Made-for-TV movies provide all the creative upside and ability to work with great talent, without the full-time commitment of a series or feature.” He added, “Plus, we’re maximizing our investment because we can build a valuable library to use across our streaming, cable and global footprints.”
Where we left off
A deadly threat was looming over the Dutton family. ‘Yellowstone’ made our worst fears come true in the season finale ‘The World is Purple’ as three main members of the family were brutally attacked. Beth Dutton (Kelly Reily) and her secretary were busy cleaning out her office when the latter opened a box addressed to her boss and a bomb blew right in her face.
At the same time, Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) was attacked when gunmen suddenly burst into his office and sprayed bullets at him. And if that wasn't shocking enough, John Dutton (Kevin Costner) was helping a lady and her little boy when a van pulled up beside him. A man got out and asked, “You’re John Dutton, aren’t you?” Within a second, he shot John in the chest and also killed the lady who ran away in fear.
After the tragedy, Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) tried to look for everyone but couldn't get in touch with John, Kayce, or Beth. He then called Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) who simply rebuffed him saying, “I don’t think you should call me anymore.” The most heartbreaking moment, perhaps, was when Rip spotted a dying horse and said: “I’d rather kill a thousand men,” he sighed, “than shoot another horse.”
As the episode came to a close, John could be seen counting like what seemed to be his last breaths. He took out his phone from his pocket and it had a hole. With that major cliffhanger, the one question on all minds is: Is John Dutton dead or will he survive? Did Jamie's real father Garrett Randall (Will Patton) have to do something with his death? After all, he told his son earlier that the only way to get hold of it is to take over the empire: “Kill the King!”
What we'd like to see
One of the biggest questions that the ending left in minds was is Jamie the real enemy? Talking about that twist, Wes Bentley opened up in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “It's interesting to watch him let them try to play off their power moves,” Bentley said. “Then Jamie drops the hammer and takes his power at the right moment. The scene of Jamie allowing the sale of the land was one of my favorite shooting the whole series.”
Hinting on his identity crisis in the series, he said, “Jamie probably somewhere in him was always afraid something like this was true. He's a smart guy. Maybe he's fantasized about being from a different family; maybe if that family was there for him, he could connect with them and truly have a family connection that he felt was on a deeper level. But then to find out his [biological] dad is not a good guy, I mean, where do you go from there? I don't know. I have a great mom and dad. I'm lucky. Where I get my spine is from my family. You know what I mean? I stand up because of my family, right? For Jamie, who is he now? He has no spine or legs to stand on. I think Jamie finds family important. He wants that. He wants the love that comes with it.”
Talking about shooting and penning down the script for next season, creator Taylor Sheridan told Deadline, “The plan was to start in June. The plan’s been to start in June every single year, to be honest with you. And every year, something happens and we can’t start until August. The one benefit of this year, I had written most of Season 4, and then I stopped at episode seven to figure out when we’re actually starting, because I have to factor in weather. I have to know if we’re going to be there in November and December, because if we are, I have to write snow into the story line.”
Moreover, he also hinted that the show might end with season six. “Well, I know how it ends. I know how the series ends, and you have to move in a straight line toward that end. You can’t walk in circles, waiting to get there, because the show will stagnate. So, you have to keep moving forward, and there have to be consequences in the world, and there has to be an evolution toward a conclusion. Can that be another two seasons beyond this? It could. I don’t see this as a procedural show. So, it’s not something that we could extend indefinitely. I don’t think anyone would want to do that; you’d cheapen the product. I haven’t had that conversation with the network or the studio yet. I’m sure it’s coming, but I would think that you would want this to end on an upswing as opposed to a plateau or a descent.”
When is it returning?
Going by the schedule for the last three years, Season 4 will be back next year sometime around June. While the first season premiered on June 20, 2018, the second one dropped on June 19, 2019, and the third followed suit with June 21, 2020, as the date. There's a strong chance Season 4 may follow the trend and come back around June 2021 end.
Although there could be a tad bit of delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, most shows are heading back to production and for ‘Yellowstone’, there's a lot of time to prep until the next year. To keep the team safe in such times, Sheridan has planned multiple zone distinctions, an on-site restaurant, and an outdoor gym. Shedding light on that, he told Deadline: “I benefit from the fact that I have hundreds of acres at my disposal at a ranch, where we’re talking about having a restaurant there. And some form of entertainment on set every single day. You can get every meal there. We’re building an outdoor gym.”
He also added, “I don’t think that somewhere in the middle of Season 4, these restrictions are going to be something we can loosen. I think that possibly by the late spring of 2021, you can look at not having to break your set down into zones, and you know we’ll be testing essential elements every other day.” There hasn't been a formal announcement with any release date yet, but we will update this space as soon as we get to hear about it.