Everything We Know So Far About Yellowstone Season 4
Brace yourselves, Yellowstone fans—the Dutton family drama isn’t over yet. The series, which focuses on the dysfunctional Dutton family and their massive Montana cattle ranch, returns this Sunday, so there’s plenty to look forward to. In fact, Paramount+ is also expanding the Yellowstone universe with two brand-new shows—one prequel, one spinoff—in the works.
In September, the show shared a video with the first tantalizing hints at what might be in store for the Dutton crew.
“The vengeance that the Dutton family faces is one of unparalleled scale,” says actress Jen Landon, who plays ranch hand Teeter. Hauser had a slightly more succinct (and not safe for work) take: “People are going to get fucked up.”
In a follow-up trailer in October, they built up the anticipation even further with a trailer that offered some ominous imagery, including a shot of Jamie—who some fans suspect had a hand in the potentially fatal ending of season three—pointing a gun at someone.
The video has prompted a lot of fan speculation about who exactly Jamie might face: his biological father, one of the Dutton family’s enemies, or even one of the Duttons themselves.
Here’s what we know so far about the long-awaited fourth season.
When will season 4 come out?
After months of anticipation, Paramount Network has finally announced that Yellowstone season 4 will premiere with a two-hour special on Sunday, November 7 on Paramount Network.
Even before season 3 debuted, Paramount Network announced that it had ordered a fourth season of the hit Western drama. Filming was originally set to begin in June 2020, but was inevitably pushed back due to the global pandemic. Production finally began in late August, with Chief Joseph Ranch, which serves as the setting for the Dutton ranch, confirming via Instagram in November 2020 that filming for season 4 had wrapped.
In July, Paramount debuted a trailer (see below) for the new season along with the announcement that the show would return in the fall with the promising tagline “Revenge will be worth the wait.”
Late last summer, the show’s official Twitter account posted a behind-the-scenes video of Yellowstone’s special effects workshop, explaining how they literally created some of the show’s most explosive moments—like the bomb in Beth’s office and the attack on Kayce that brought the season three show to a dramatic close. Watch the full video below.
Cast
Yellowstone’s season three finale was filled with potentially fatal cliffhangers, leaving fans wondering whether their favorite ranchers (if any) would survive to continue next season.
In December 2020, Costner further worried fans in an interview with Good Day New York when he responded to questions about the fate of his character John Dutton by saying, “I can’t say. There’s an ending that you’ll see, hopefully a strong ending for you.” He added, “Just try to enjoy it to the fullest if you can.”
Rumors immediately began circulating that Costner would be leaving the show, with some suggesting that the actor was unhappy with the demands of filming that kept him away from his family. A representative for Costner later told Gossip Cop that the story was untrue.
The remaining Dutton siblings, played by Luke Grimes (Kayce), Kelly Reilly (Beth), and Wes Bentley (Jamie), and other main cast members Cole Hauser (Rip) and Kelsey Asbille (Monica), are all expected to reprise their roles—at least until the season premiere, which resolves the shocking ending of season 3.
Speaking at a Deadline event in May, Reilly called the upcoming fourth season “the most satisfying yet” but avoided revealing what large role she might play in it. Hauser added an ominous layer of foreshadowing, joking that the season premiere could be titled “Wrath of Rip,” and saying, “Everyone’s in danger in Montana after that.”
The show also announced a few new cast members. Among them, Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly, Covert Affairs), who will play Summer Higgins, an environmental activist from Portland who opposes state-funded policing and industrial agriculture. Not a character you’d expect to be a favorite of the cattle-raising Duttons—and one that may be inspired by her real life.
“My husband, Steven Kay, is one of the executive producers on the show. He and I had dinner with Taylor Sheridan and his wife, and I
