If there was ever a time for Taylor Sheridan to leave Yellowstone behind, it’s right now. The flagship series came to an end earlier this year with its fifth season, which brought the main storyline of the Dutton Family Saga to an end. Meanwhile, Sheridan’s exploration of the Duttons’ history throughout the 19th and 20th centuries is also reaching its zenith, with the upcoming spinoff 1944 set to finally bridge the gap between the prequels and the original series. Yellowstone‘s upcoming spinoff series will continue the story of the Duttons, but the primary storyline that encompassed the first era of the franchise is at its conclusion. Sheridan’s departure will be a trial for Yellowstone, but it comes at the exact right moment for the universe to take on a new direction. All of the upcoming spinoffs now have a chance to differentiate themselves from their predecessors with new storylines that don’t necessarily rely on Sheridan’s writing style or storytelling sensibilities. In fact, Sheridan seems to have been preparing his franchise for this exact moment, installing different showrunners for his upcoming Yellowstone series while taking a backseat “supervisory” role in each. Spencer Hudnut is at the helm of Y: Marshals, and Chad Feehan will showrun Dutton Ranch. Meanwhile, Sheridan is still attached to The Madison and 1944, though it remains to be seen whether he will step away should the shows be renewed for additional seasons.

Over the next several years, Paramount will learn whether Yellowstone‘s success was due to Taylor Sheridan alone or if audiences find other aspects of the television universe appealing enough to continue even in his absence. Sheridan’s departure will put Yellowstone‘s popularity to the test, but it doesn’t have to be the death of the franchise. So long as the upcoming spinoffs keep true to what made the original shows so successful, Yellowstone can survive for many more years. With a good mixture of returning characters and brand-new storylines ahead in the years to come, there is still hope for Yellowstone even after its creator steps away.

Is It the Beginning of the End for Yellowstone?

The next generation of Yellowstone shows hope to keep the franchise going for many more years to come, but a question remains: how long will this television universe remain interesting? For the last seven years, audiences have watched the Dutton Saga unfold across multiple centuries, as the troubled but unyielding family fights for their ancestral ranch. However, this story came to a distinct conclusion in the Yellowstone series finale, with Thomas Rainwater and the Broken Rock Reservation coming back into possession of the land over one hundred years after their ancestors first gave it to James Dutton. Shows like Y: Marshals and Dutton Ranch serve as epilogues to this story, but they will have their work cut out for them if they want to retain viewers’ attention long-term. These sequel series will have to establish a new story as compelling as the original saga if they want to find the same success as Yellowstone. This is an issue that other television universes have faced before. Franchises like The Walking Dead have struggled to find storylines to justify their spinoff endeavors, with certain new shows feeling like retreads of previously told storylines. Yellowstone hopes to avoid the same pitfalls, but it remains to be seen whether it will be successful.

The real test of the franchise’s future will be in shows like The Madison, which tell brand-new stories adjacent but not directly connected to the original Yellowstone. The Madison represents a new type of Yellowstone spinoff that is not contingent upon the Dutton family drama, even if it is set in the same universe. Other shows in development, including 6666, seem poised to follow suit, branching out into new areas of Taylor Sheridan’s television universe. If these shows are successful, they could establish long overarching storylines that rival that of the Dutton Family Saga, keeping the Yellowstone franchise alive for many more years to come.