The Yellowstone universe has given fans a lot to cheer about recently, though largely in the form of the prequel 1923’s big casting updates. Thankfully, we finally have our first extended look at what’s coming soon when Season 5 debuts in November, as Paramount Network unveiled a whopper of a first trailer that sets up some very interesting arcs, introduces some brand new characters, and destroys quite a bit of property in one way (fire) or another (smashing a beer bottle against it).
Yellowstone’s first-look teaser, released a month ahead of the new trailer, set the stage nicely for its fifth season, though without a whole lot included to keep fans’ minds busy after watching. The full promo above, however, is filled to each one of the brims in the bunkhouse with new details, although there are more than a few missing faces, such as Finn Little’s Carter and the various actors returning for flashbacks, including Josh Lucas (Younger John), Kylie Rogers (Young Beth) and Kyle Red Silverstein (Young Rip). But let’s dive into all the excellent moments we did witness.
John Dutton Being Sworn In As Montana's Governor
For all that Yellowstone was setting up Kevin Costner’s John Dutton as a candidate to take over as Montana’s governor, one of my biggest questions ahead of Season 5 was whether or not John would actually go through with the process. And I’ll be damned, he actually did it, and I’m already certain it was a brilliant move by the creative team to bypass the entire campaign process ahead of elections. Of course, that means we haven’t seen any of the build up for the possibly deeper romantic relationship John may or may not be having with Wendy Moniz’s to-be-former governor Lynelle Perry. But it’s worth it.
Beth Is John's Chief Of (The Mostly Fired) Staff
I love that even in the trailer, we’re already seeing how John begins to take advantage of his newfound leadership position, at least as far as nepotism-driven staff changes are concerned. It’s certainly not a move that’s alien to politics at large for a newly elected leader to swap out unfamiliar underlings with someone whose loyalty would never waver. Naturally, Kelly Reilly's Beth is the one replacement we hear about, as she’ll be John’s ball-breaking Chief of Staff. Now I can’t wait to hear what Jamie’s new position will be, since “Beth’s Bitch” probably isn’t suitable for government-issued business cards.
John And Thomas Rainwater Apparently Have New Beef
The strife between John and Gil Birmingham’s Thomas Rainwater has always been present throughout the four seasons of Yellowstone thus far, though rarely have they come to direct blows. Rainwater and Mo Brings Plenty even went above and beyond in Season 4 by setting up John’s revenge on the thug who set up the attacks on the Duttons at the end of Season 3. So he owes them, and it looks like that favor will already be called in at some point in Season 5. The kicker in the trailer, though, is that the two aforementioned characters are shown right after Jacki Weaver’s Caroline Warner as John is talking about his enemies. Rainwater would have to break a World Record of fucking up to truly deserve a comparison to Caroline, who delivered a monumental threat in Season 4’s closer, so I’m beyond curious to see how much merit that particular promo edit has.
Our First Look At Beth's New Nemesis
Speaking of Caroline Warner, she is once again a pure and utter delight in Yellowstone’s Season 5 trailer; she gets to drop a big ol’ F-bomb while shattering a glass against a wall, which makes her a legend. But perhaps more importantly, we see her bring in the new headhunting adjutant Sarah Atwood, who will be portrayed by Heroes and House of Lies vet Dawn Olivieri. We don’t get to see any major sparks flying, unless Sarah is the woman who gets her head bashed with Beth’s beer bottle, but we do get to see her talking cockily about Caroline in the heat of her boss being mega-pissed. So that doesn’t bode well for her survival. For a strange but fun parallel, Olivieri has already played a Dutton family member before, as she recurred in the prequel 1883 as James Dutton’s moody AF sister Claire.
Jamie Is Worried About A War That John Is Openly Inviting
I can’t lie, I was happy to see that one quick moment where Jamie was actually smiling and enjoying himself during one of John’s political events, presumably without thinking about how he murdered his biological dad and wound up at the end of Beth’s leash because of it. Those smiles weren’t meant to be eternal, though. But we’ll assume until proven otherwise that he won’t be actively sabotaging John’s term in office, and is indeed offering up a genuine warning about whatever John was signing. In the most literal sense, too, since he spoke about war specifically. Instead of being hesitant about it, or subsequently regretful for his decision, John is just like, “Bring it, dipshits.” Nothing can go well if both he and Market Equities’ second-banana enforcer are dripping with confidence like that. But where will Jamie’s loyalties lie when those situations play out?
Rip's Involved With Burning A Whole Lot Of Something
As the new son-in-law of the Yellowstone ranch’s head honcho, a notion that weirds him out a little, Rip will no doubt have to prove his loyalty in newly complicated ways in Season 5 and beyond, both with John and Beth. We see him sharing an emotional moment with Beth, without a cause for her distress, but even more mysterious are the moments in which Rip and others are involved in some pretty shady behavior. As if Rip’s instantly recognizable silhouette wasn’t already intimidating enough in the image above, but throw a couple of trash bags filled with who-knows-what, and it’s close to horror movie territory. What are they burning/? It doesn’t seem like it’d be money, since people usually steal that instead of destroying it. And I don’t believe they’re filled with body parts, since this crew tends to dump corpses instead of cremating them.
Our First Look At Lainey Wilson's Abby
Another musically gifted actor is heading to Yellowstone for Season 5, as country singer/songwriter Lainey Wilson joined the cast as the character known only as Abby. It doesn't look like she'll be too far out of her element while on the Paramount Network series, as she'll be playing a bar-friendly musician on the show as well. But who's eyes and ears is she going to catch? Walker? John? Lloyd?
Monica's New Hair (And Nose Injury)
Arguably the biggest cliffhanger coming out of Season 4’s finale tied to the vision quest that Luke Grimes’ Kayce experienced, which may or may not have set up his eventual split from Kelsey Asbille’s Monica. They went through a rough patch last season, though appeared to be on firmer ground after moving away from the ranch, and they were even seen in bed together during the trailer. However, Monica apparently gets whacked in the face at some point, given the bandage and cut on the bridge of her nose, which probably wasn’t Kayce’s fault, but we can’t ignore the possibility. As well, Monica changes up her hairstyle a bit, which isn’t indicative of a person living a same-old, same-old life. Perhaps the change was inspired by something positive, but this is Yellowstone, after all.
And while it probably doesn't count as a "reveal," I cannot WAIT to see what makes Teeter go ham on Ryan's face when she's wearing only a towel. What'd you do, Ryan?
Yellowstone Season 5 will debut on Paramount Network with a two-episode premiere on Sunday, November 13, at 8:00 p.m., the same day that Taylor Sheridan’s newest drama, the Sylvester Stallone-starring crime drama Tulsa King, debuts for those with Paramount+ subscriptions. Head to our TV premiere schedule to see what other new and returning shows are popping up soon.
