Yellowstone‘s latest follow-up series could end up starting a legal battle between Paramount+ and Peacock. Yellowstone season 5 will come to an end this weekend, with an episode that was originally understood to be a series finale. Earlier this week, however, it was announced that a planned follow-up series starring Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser will indeed be a Yellowstone spinoff.
What This Means For The Yellowstone Spinoff’s Future
The Show May Include Yellowstone In The Title
Ultimately, the outcome of this debate will come down to whether the next installment of the series is deemed a legally distinct spinoff series or functionally Yellowstone season 6. While it makes sense that the spinoff series might include some characters from the original show, this Yellowstone spinoff is slated to include not only Beth and Rip, but other main characters as well. To complicate this even more, this weekend’s episode of Yellowstone has been marketed as a season finale, rather than a series finale.
Another hangup could be reports that the Beth and Rip show intends to include Yellowstone in the title. While the series’ announcement did not call it Yellowstone season 6, including the mothership show’s name in that of the new series might complicate the legality even more. It is still possible for Paramount+ to try to pivot in this respect, as they could easily remove Yellowstone from the title if that would avoid the legal battle.
Our Take On The Yellowstone Debacle
Paramount+ May Have To Pivot Strategies
Given the shared name, season 5 marketing, and an abundance of common characters, it makes sense why NBCU might take issue with the new Yellowstone series’ distinctness from the mothership.
After all, the crux of this debate stems from the fact that the Yellowstone name carries immense weight in the TV industry right now, as the Taylor Sheridan-created series continues to dominate streaming charts. This will likely force Paramount+ to either have to pivot strategies for the series significantly or allow Peacock to stream the new series, both of which might be undesirable for them.
