What’s Happening With the ‘Yellowstone’ 6666 Spin-off?

The contemporary spin-off was announced a number of years ago when Taylor Sheridan wanted to expand his, and by extension the Dutton’s, television empire, but there’s been very little news in the interim. Taking place on the historic Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas, 6666 is set to center around the lives of some of the toughest cowboys in America, all from a Texan point of view. Sheridan himself is originally from the great state, making it a place near and dear to his heart. Additionally, the Western genre itself is maybe most connected to Texas, which shares a rich and colorful history with the myth of the American West.

While we don’t know all the particulars about what 6666 will entail, we do know that the project is to be set in modern-day and was meant to be to Yellowstone what Angel was to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But now that Yellowstone is about to take its final bow in November 2024, it looks as if 6666 may fly solo for a while, or be paired with the upcoming sequel series 2024 — which will premiere in the wake of Yellowstone‘s ending. Nevertheless, the idea of following Texan cowboys as they prance about the north-central planes of the Lone Star State (though not quite as high as the panhandle) sounds pretty exciting, especially if the plotlines involving the Dutton Ranch hands are your favorite part of Yellowstone​​​​​​.

‘Yellowstone’ Opened the Door for ‘6666,’ but Failed to Walk Through

In Yellowstone‘s fourth season, Jimmy Hurdstrom (Jefferson White) was banished from the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch after break ing John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner

) trust and his own word concerning continuing on the rodeo circuit. As a result, Jimmy was taken down to Texas where he was inducted into the Four Sixes Ranch, a place where he learned to be a proper cowboy and appreciate what he had. There, he even fell in love with and got engaged to Emily (Kathryn Kelly), much to the chagrin of his barrel-racing ex-girlfriend. But this was the sort of growth that Jimmy needed after all these years, and it opened the door to further possibilities for the character.

So when Jimmy returned to the Yellowstone in the Season 4 finale “Grass on the Streets and Weeds on the Rooftops,” it came as a shock to many when he asked John Dutton if he could remain at the Four Sixes for good. John agreed, having seen the bright young man Jimmy had become (and recognizing his love for Emily), and Jimmy was effectively written off the show. He didn’t appear at all in the first half of Season 5 save for the final episode “A Knife and No Coin,” which reveals that he and Emily are happily married, teasing a return to the Dutton Ranch to help out in the back half of the season.

When asked if he was leaving Yellowstone permanently for 6666, actor Jefferson White wasn’t sure what to say. “It’s really wherever things take me,” White told Looper following Yellowstone‘s fourth season. “Similar to real life, you don’t get many choices. For Jimmy, he doesn’t get a lot of choices. He was plucked, picked up, and tossed to the Yellowstone ranch… And I really think it’s appropriate, then, that I, myself, don’t make a lot of choices.”

Taylor Sheridan Says ‘6666’ Is Still Coming

But with Jimmy down in Texas seemingly ready to launch his new spin-off series, why the delay? Clearly the time we spent on the Four Sixes in Season 4 and our brief return in Season 5 proves that there’s work to be done. Folks are chomping at the bits to see 6666

 unfold, and after it was announced that the spin-off is going to air on the Paramount Network rather than on Paramount+ upon its release, it made fans even more curious as to what the Texas-based series will entail. So where exactly does 6666 fit into Taylor Sheridan’s busy schedule? Well, he’s working on it.

With so many projects under his belt beyond just the Yellowstone Universe (he’s also responsible for Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, and Special Ops: Lioness), Taylor Sheridan is clearly a man of many talents. Aside from 6666, he’s also showrunning Yellowstone, its 1923 prequel, and presumably the upcoming 2024, not to mention his involvement with other Dutton-related projects like 1944 and Lawman: Bass Reeves.

According to the cowboy-turned-filmmaker, 6666 is on hold for right now while he figures out how to best proceed with the series. “[The Four Sixes spin-off], for a number of reasons, needs a unique level of special care because this is a real place with real families working here,” Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter in a lengthy 2023 interview. “You have to respect the lineage. I’ve told [the Paramount Network] to be patient.” Only someone as prolific and sought-out as Sheridan could tell an entire studio to be patient years after a show’s official announcement.

Taylor Sheridan Owns the Historic Four Sixes Ranch in Real Life

But Sheridan may have a point here. Not only does he understand the complexities of filming on a working ranch from his time on Yellowstone, but the neo-Western auteur (if we can be bold enough to call him that) actually owns the historic ranch he plans to use as the setting for his next series. That’s right, back in 2021, Sheridan purchased the Four Sixes for over $320 million after the former owner passed away. With about 270,000 acres at his disposal, there’s no denying that Sheridan is living out his own Dutton fantasy on the land he loves.

According to Sheridan, there’s a reason he decided to get out of Los Angeles the first second he could, settling back in his home state. “There’s a kindness in Texas that I find lacking in many other parts of the country,” he admitted to Cowboys & Indians. “Anywhere you go in Texas, there is a genuine concern for another person’s well-being. I just think it creates a structure of society that is very harmonious.” For as much as he seems to love Montana, the Yellowstone creator obviously has the softest place in his heart for Texas, a place he hopes to share with the world in 6666 one day.

“Everybody in Texas always represents the state,” he remarked. And so, there’s a sense of class and confidence that I think every Texan seems to embody. And along with that, a respect for others, regardless of whether they agree with you or not. You respect their ability to disagree or agree.” If that’s the attitude that Sheridan has when writing episodes of 6666, then there’s no doubt the series will be just as good, if not better than, the flagship Yellowstone show. We can be patient for something as good as that.

The ‘Yellowstone’ Universe Will Live On Beyond The Flagship Series

Despite the fact that Kevin Costner is leaving the Yellowstone universe for good after Season 5 wraps up, the neo-Western franchise is in no danger of going anywhere. A second season of the hit Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren-led 1923 is still underway, and Lawman: Bass Reeves (the first season in a greater Western anthology) arrives on Paramount+ in November 2023. Beyond that, the Matthew McConaughey-led sequel series is currently in development, with another prequel (1944) to follow. One thing is clear, the Duttons are more than just Kevin Costner, and they’ll be around as long as Sheridan is willing to write them.

Yellowstone is available for streaming exclusively on Peacock and airs Sundays on CBS.