Paramount Network May Make Major Format Changes in 'Yellowstone' Due to Rebranding

Paramount Network may make significant format changes in the hit Neo-Western series "Yellowstone" because of the network's plan to rebrand itself as Paramount Movie Network.

As reported by Variety, Paramount Network is planning to move out of long-form series television. Instead, the ViacomCBS-owned cabler will concentrate its efforts on made-for-TV movies with major actors in their casts sometime in the coming year.

Paramount Movie Network is shaping to air one of those films every week. Miniseries or large-scale scripted series like "Yellowstone," on the other hand, will roll out once a quarter.

According to TV Line, "Yellowstone," which was renewed for Season 4 earlier this year, is safe as the show will fit into the network's new programming strategy.

This strategy includes treating the popular television series as a "cinematic experience." According to the outlet, it could include airing two episodes in a night without too many advertisements.

Filming for Season 4 was postponed by a few months due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.

On August 23, "Yellowstone" aired its season 3 finale titled "The World is Purple." The episode ended on a major cliffhanger that shocked many viewers.

Ahead of its third season's premiere, Paramount Network had renewed the series for a fourth season in February 2020. But a major roadblock has since occurred.

Filming for Season 4 was postponed by a few months due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, filming picked up shortly before the season 3 finale aired.

"We're supposed to start mid-August, and we're putting that together as best we can," the creator of "Yellowstone," Taylor Sheridan, explained in a recent interview.

Sheridan added that he is very lucky that the series shoots on a ranch in Montana. He disclosed that they are going to shoot exclusively there this year.

No release date for season 4 has been declared at this point. But fans of the series anticipate the upcoming season's start in June 2021 because the previous three seasons all started in June.

Meanwhile, during the Season 3 finale of "Yellowstone," John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner, was gunned down. His son Kayce, played by Luke Grimes, was also shot and his daughter, played by Kelly Reilly, appeared to be blown up by a package sent to her office.

As for Jamie, played by Wes Bentley, he is now on the lookout for himself. Jamie is known as the politico child who has trouble standing up for himself, his family, and their ranch.

While it is not yet clear who is surely dead, the Dutton family is forever shaken up. According to fans' theories about the finale's cliffhanger, there is a possibility that Jamie was behind the murder of his family.