The final episodes of Yellowstone are coming – and now one of

its stars has stepped in to defend their fellow cast members after fans were left “mad as hell”.

Yellowstone season 5, part 2 is coming to Paramount+ this November – and a lot of fans have been

complaining about how long it has taken to get there. The final episodes of the popular series have long been delayed due to a variety of factors.

Most notably, the writers’ strike between May and September of 2023 had a huge impact, while reported disagreements about scheduling and the aftermath of the COVID pandemic are also said to have played a role.

Nevertheless, Yellowstone will finally bid its final farewell this Autumn after first airing back in 2018. Beth Dutton actress Kelly Reilly addressed the controversy surrounding the show’s delayed start date in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly.

She said: “We have such a huge following of fans who really are very emotionally connected to the show. Some of them are mad as hell that we’ve taken so long, but we’re like, ‘It’s not our fault! We wanted to go to work!’”

Her co-star Luke Grimes, who plays Kayce Dutton, added: “I’ve been itching to get back to the show and I’m so glad it finally worked out and we got to finish strong.”

There are just six episodes of the Western saga yet to air, although notably without Kevin Costner, who portrays family patriarch John Dutton.

Costner confirmed in June that he would not be able to continue with the rest of the season due to his commitments to the Horizon film franchise.

However, according to Reilly, everything has worked out for the best ahead of the show’s grand finale.

“It was always going to be five seasons in [Sheridan’s] head, but because the show became so successful, the network and everyone wanted more,” Reilly explained.

“So, in a way, fate took it and we ended this part of Yellowstone in a way that he always envisioned it to end.”

Yellowstone is a hugely popular drama from the minds of Sons of Anarchy’s Taylor Sheridan and John Linson.

The Montana-based series launched six years ago and the drama has since seen the Duttons continually fighting off various enemies in an attempt to preserve their land.

Anticipation builds following Paramount+ announcing that Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2 is set to premiere on Sunday, November 10.