Will there be a season 6 of 'Yellowstone'? Here's why fans think the series isn't ending.

• Season five of "Yellowstone" ends on Sunday, December 15.
• A teaser for the remaining episodes described it as a season finale instead of a series finale.
• A sixth season is reportedly in the works, centered on Beth and Rip.

Season five of "Yellowstone" — also long believed to be the final installment — is ending soon, but a recent teaser has fans thinking that there could be more to come.

Since debuting in 2018, "Yellowstone," co-created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson and centered on an aging rancher named John Dutton (Kevin Costner), has become a smash hit for the network.

Episode 12 of season five, part two (also known as 5B) featured a surprising character death and ended with a preview for the penultimate episode of the season.

In the teaser, the announcer said, "Only one episode left until the season finale of 'Yellowstone.'" Fans latched on to the use of "season finale" instead of "series finale," theorizing that the phrase choice was a subtle confirmation that a sixth season is coming despite a cancellation announcement last year.

Here's what we know about the future of "Yellowstone."

'Yellowstone' director and executive producer Christina Alexandra Voros said that 'the end of an era' is coming

Back in May 2023, it was announced that "Yellowstone" would end with season five.

"I think this last batch of episodes leads us to the end of an era," director and executive producer Christina Alexandra Voros recently told Variety of the final three episodes of season five.

"It's impossible to talk about it in any detail without tipping my hat towards things to come," Voros continued. "But I think Taylor has managed to — and I'm really not sure how he's done it, I think it's sort of masterful — bring the ending to something that feels both shocking and fated at the same time. You need to get to the end of the story to fully understand everything that has come before."

Actor Ian Bohen, who plays Ryan, shared similar comments hyping up the season five finale.

"I don't know that any show has finished this strongly, ever," he told Entertainment Tonight in April. "We're expecting to have the best series finale in history. Overconfident maybe, but I think that's what it's going to be."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sheridan will direct the season five finale of "Yellowstone," titled "Life Is A Promise." The episode will reportedly be longer than usual, running one hour and 26 minutes.

Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler may take over as the leads for 'Yellowstone' season 6 — or get their own spinoff show

In August, Puck reported that "Yellowstone" would continue, focusing on Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser). According to the outlet, Reilly and Hauser would become the new leads of the series after Costner exited. Costner's main character was killed off-screen when season 5B premiered in November.

In early November, Hauser told The Hollywood Reporter that he felt there was more to explore with Beth and Rip.

"You can go on forever about these two. There's no walls when it comes to them, no limits," he said. "And as long as Taylor wants to write something special, I know Kelly and I would be interested to do it."

Then on Wednesday, Deadline broke the news that, according to sources close to the production, Reilly and Hauser would reprise their roles to star in a "Yellowstone" spinoff series.

According to Deadline, Sheridan is currently working on developing the new show, which will likely star other actors reprising their roles from the main series.

Paramount has yet to officially announce a sixth season or spinoff starring Reilly and Hauser, and network representatives didn't immediately respond to our requests for comment. But fans of the neo-Western drama have more to look forward to either way.

Sheridan's TV universe, which includes the "Yellowstone" prequel series "1883" and "1923," will expand with an upcoming "Yellowstone" sequel show called "The Madison," starring Michelle Pfeiffer.

Here's where to watch "Yellowstone" season 5's final episodes.