Michael John Petty is a Senior Author for Collider who spends his days writing, in fellowship with his local church, and enjoying each new day with his wife and daughters. At Collider, he writes features and reviews, and has interviewed the cast and crew of Dark Winds. In addition to writing about stories, Michael has told a few of his own. His first work of self-published fiction – The Beast of Bear-tooth Mountain – became a #1 Best Seller in “Religious Fiction Short Stories” on Amazon in 2023. His Western short story, The Devil’s Left Hand, received the Spur Award for “Best Western Short Fiction” from the Western Writers of America in 2025. Michael currently resides in North Idaho with his growing family.

‘Yellowstone: 6666’ Could Offer a Different Take on the Modern American West

Back in 2021, Sheridan announced that 6666 was in development, and fans wondered what the Texas-based cowboy drama would entail. As the fourth season of Yellowstone sent Jimmy down south to the Four Sixes, it seemed as if Sheridan was doing everything in his power to move at least part of the Dutton narrative to the Lone Star State. By the time Season 4 ended, Jimmy chose to remain in Texas, having gotten engaged to Emily (Kathryn Kelly) and begun a new life as a genuine cowboy in the best state for the profession. Season 5, likewise, spent a considerable amount of time down south. But with so many Yellowstone sequel spin-offs currently in development — be it CBS’s upcoming Y: Marshals, the Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser Dutton Ranch project, or The Madison, another Montana-based series about rich East Coasters moving West — 6666 could be a breath of fresh air.

Instead of focusing on the capitalistic dangers of land-grabbing plots and hostile takeovers, 6666 is a project that has the potential to revolve around the simple Texan cowboys who produce much of the country’s beef. Not only could it further educate audiences on how the industry works, but it could also shed light on a lesser-understood profession and elevate the modern cowboy beyond rodeo kings and Old West heroes. Dealing in more intensive situations like cattle drives and battling the elements, as well as potential animal threats or cattle wrestlers, is something that Yellowstone promised from the start, only to get bogged down by its overall plot in the process. Without the need to infuse the Texan drama with the corporate side of things, we can certainly see the potential for 6666 as a drama that expands on the life and times of the modern-day American cowboy.

Taylor Sheridan’s ‘6666’ Spin-off Could Be a Serialized TV Western

This is, of course, where the Rawhide comparisons come in. If Sheridan and Paramount were to lean into the cowboy drama of it all, 6666 could be a show that not only honors one of the most important professions in America but also serves as a modern-day answer to more traditional TV Westerns, with Rawhide being perhaps the most obvious of the bunch. What made a show like Rawhide so popular for so long was that it followed no-nonsense trailboss Gil Favor (Eric Fleming), ramrod Rowdy Yates (Clint Eastwood), and their crew of cowboys as they traveled across the Old West, often finding themselves in peculiar situations and in the middle of introspective character dramas that kept audiences returning for more. While television (including within the Western genre) isn’t structured quite like these old network shows these days, 6666 could learn from the show that got Eastwood his start by avoiding serialization and taking each episode at a time — the same way a cowboy takes things one day at a time.

‘Yellowstone’s ‘6666’ Spin-off Has Been in Development Hell Since 2021

Of course, just because White doesn’t know if he’s returning for more doesn’t mean that 6666 is completely off the table. In a sit-down with The Hollywood Reporter back in 2023, Sheridan, who owns the real-life Four Sixes Ranch, expressed his admiration for the Texan operation. “I grew up in the shadow of the Four Sixes,” he explained. “This was the ranch I based [Yellowstone’s] scope and operation on, because it didn’t exist in Montana.” Back then, Sheridan had told Paramount that the network needed patience in developing the project, as he needed to make sure it was possible for the series itself to work alongside the ranch, which is still in operation. It’s clear that Sheridan cares deeply for the Four Sixes, and in wanting to make it “the most famous ranch in America,” one can understand why a television series based on the working ranch would be the way to go about that.

Yet, Sheridan’s recent breakup with Paramount doesn’t offer us much comfort as we meditate on what could be. Perhaps Sheridan would be willing to revisit this project at another point in time, divorcing it from the Yellowstone Universe entirely. On the other hand, it could be that after working at it for quite some time, it proved too tough to crack. Either way, here’s hoping that we get some sort of update on 6666 in the near future — and that if it does happen, it will echo the classic television Westerns that played during the genre’s peak.