Yellowstone season 5 has officially stared filming in Montana. The western drama stars Kevin Costner as John Dutton, the patriarch of a family that owns the largest ranch in the state of Montana. John vows to keep his property and protect his family as it is threatened from outside forces, such as a neighboring Native American reservation and corporate real estate developers, as well as from forces within the family. Despite its initial mixed reviews and middling viewership, Yellowstone quickly gained in popularity in its later seasons as a result of audiences' increased amount of time at home due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Following the brutal assassination attempt on the Dutton family that left John near death in the hospital and Kayce Dutton's (Luke Grimes) wife and son traumatized at the end of season 4, the family struggled to pick up the pieces of their lives and keep the farm together as it is threatened by Market Equities, a real estate firm that wishes to change the landscape of the local community, and Garrett Randall (Will Patton), Jamie Dutton's (Wes Bentley) biological father, the man who gave the kill-order. Meanwhile, Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) took a job at Market Equities, using her new position to damage the company while Jamie learns of Garrett's truth as the assassination attempt's ring leader and kills him.
Per Deadline, filming on Yellowstone season 5 officially started in Montana. Jen Landon and Kathryn Kelly were moved up from guest stars to series regulars for the new season. Landon plays Teeter, a foul-mouthed ranch hand who was briefly fired from the ranch following a scuffle between Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith) and Walker (Ryan Bingham). Kelly first appeared in season 4 as Emily, a veterinarian technician at the 6666 ranch in Texas where Jimmy (Jefferson White) was sent as a way to regain favor with John after nearly being paralyzed at the rodeo.
With both Landon and Kelly being moved up to series regulars, the two characters will most likely play a larger role in season 5. Teeter's promotion makes sense as she is one of the few ranch hands not a series regular, and season 4 further pushed her relationship with fellow ranch hand Colby Mayfield (Denim Richards). Landon's promotion also makes sense as her story is directly intertwined with Jimmy's. At the end of season 4, Jimmy revealed that while at the Sixes ranch in Texas, he and Emily became engaged.
No official air date for season 5 has been officially revealed, although writer and showrunner Taylor Sheridan previously alluded to a late summer premiere. However, due to the late start of season 5's production, a summer start date may be wishful thinking. Seasons 1-3 all premiered in mid-June with season 4 premiering in November 2021. With season 5 only just getting underway, Yellowstone may not return until this fall.
Source: Deadline