The “Dutton Ranch” is open for business.
Taylor Sheridan’s latest contemporary spinoff of his flagship “Yellowstone” follows Rip (Cole Hauser) and Beth (Kelly Reilly), as they set up a new farm in the fictional South Texas town of Rio Paloma, after their Montana homestead burns down in a brushfire. They’re attempting a new life with their adopted teenage son Carter (Finn Little). But their quest for a peaceful new life is threatened by a clash with the family of a powerful slaughterhouse owner (Annette Bening).
Hauser said that there were “rumblings” about a spinoff centered on Beth and Rip when they were shooting the last season of “Yellowstone” (which aired at the end of 2024). The series, at the time the most popular show on television, had abruptly ended after a contentious back-and-forth between Sheridan and star Kevin Costner, which led to Costner’s character being killed off-screen.
About a month and a half after the show ended, Hauser and Reilly were asked if they were interested in “a different version of the Beth and Rip story,” according to Hauser.
“We wanted to know more, because we care deeply about the characters and what that next iteration would be. And so soon after that, they hired a writer, and Kelly and I started talking,” Hauser said. The idea of moving the characters from Montana to Texas was proposed, which was tough because, as he said, “we both love Montana deeply.” Still, they stuck around.
“They slowly walked the dog. We did a lot of listening. And then ultimately made the decision,” said Hauser.
Luke Grimes, when he was contacted about doing a “Yellowstone” spinoff, which would become “Marshals” for CBS, said that he was trepidatious about returning to the world. “Yellowstone” is such a beloved property. Even attempting something in the same vein could end in ruin.
“I think it’s probably healthy to have a little hesitation. We really put everything into ‘Yellowstone.’ These characters are quite beloved, and we wanted to make sure that we weren’t going to make a caricature of something that we cared about, and we wanted to make sure it was done with integrity, and we wanted to maybe learn something new about the characters and take them into a different iteration, that it wasn’t just a continuation, rather, but a new beginning,” said Reilly. “And I think that’s where Cole and I would have lots of conversations about what we thought that might look like, and what are the things we wanted to explore in the characters in the world, and what was it about ‘Yellowstone’ that we want to bring with us, and what do we want to depart from?”
“Not that we ever hit a ceiling in Montana, but, as Kelly said, we feel like we completed a really big undertaking. And so then where are you going to put us in? How do we start anew?” said Cole. “How is that going to look and what characters are coming into it? What actors are going to come into our space? And then all of it started to fall in place. And certainly Ed [Harris] and Annette and JR [Villarreal] and Marc Menchaca and the list goes on of unbelievable actors. And then Finn as well, what’s that relationship look like? How are we going to navigate teaching him or being taught by him?”
When we asked how the idea of “Dutton Ranch” compared with actually making it, especially since Reilly and Hauser were also executive producers, Reilly said that it was “the hardest job I’ve ever done.”
“When you’re an actor, you’re serving story. You’ve got one hat and you’re wanting to do the best you can, but this felt like a broader job requirement for us. Beginning something again is intimidating and something to be worthy of the work we had done before. We didn’t want to undermine that,” said Reilly. “For me, the beginning came out of where are they internally – Beth has lost her father. The Ranch was handed back to the Native Americans, quite rightly. That story was so beautifully finished by Taylor. Who does that change? How does that change? Who is Beth now that she’s put the weapons down and she stopped fighting for a minute – what does she want? He gave me clues throughout six seasons. I knew that she wanted a whiskey and meadow and Rip. That was literally the title of one episode. I clung to that and just tried to go back to basics and just say, What is she wondering about herself, for maybe the first time ever?”
As Hauser said, part of the fun of “Dutton Ranch” has quite the starry new cast. We wondered what it was like for Hauser to work with a legendary talent like Ed Harris, who stars as Everett McKinney, a local veterinarian who soon becomes a key part of the Dutton Ranch’s inner circle.
“I grew up watching him since I was a young kid in my house in California. There’s a great moment where Beth actually introduces Rip to Everett. I walked into the bar with her, and she’s like, ‘This is Everett. This is my husband, Rip. And I forgot my line. I just looked at Ed, and I was like, Holy s–t. He smiled at me. And then the scene continued,” said Hauser.
He said that, as the season goes on, the relationship between Rip and Everett becomes even deeper.
“Just to have him there, he’s obviously got a ton of wisdom but I would say Ed is a great person and I think he brought that to Everett. We really needed that in the show,” said Hauser.
As for Bening, Hauser said that he loves her playfulness.
“She doesn’t do anything the same. Each take is different. I had some wonderful moments with her and I feel like it was a new experience for Rip. He doesn’t usually get the opportunity to do those kind of scenes with that particular character. It was cool to have some colors, some different things to play off of than I have in the past,” said Hauser. “With John and the bunkhouse, it becomes this norm for him. He doesn’t really journey off of the ranch much unless he’s going to kill somebody. It was nice to go and have other moments with other actors and actresses.”
Reilly said that working with Bening, who Beth describes as “a grizzly in Gucci,” was like “eating a full meal every day.”
“It’s like, I’ve got to make sure I’m in shape with her, because she is a powerhouse. She is just so prepared but she’s just so curious and thoughtful, and she brings it. She comes to work having really, really thought about what she’s doing. She elevates our show,” said Reilly. “By having Ed Harris and Annette Bening, we have two heavyweights who are a masterclass. For me there’s nothing I love more than to geek out about great actors. And never in a million years did I think that we would get that caliber of actor to come to join our spinoff.”
Reilly said that “what they’ve done by joining and by creating these characters, they’ve made this so much more exciting than it could have been – and it’s a serious show of its own.” With Bening and Harris on board, they have turned what could have just been a spinoff “trying to keep ‘Yellowstone’ alive” into something much more.
“This is ‘Dutton Ranch.’ It’s something that has its own legs and its own muscularity because of them,” said Reilly.
But when starting out on a new endeavor they must be thinking about how they can keep “Dutton Ranch” going, right? Grimes’ “Marshals” has already been renewed for season 2. Sheridan’s recent “The Madison” got the go-ahead for a third season (the second season had already been shot). Certainly they must be thinking about the potential longevity of “Dutton Ranch?”
“We can only think of one season. That would be too terrifying for me. Taylor could because he has his whole world. I think there’s one ending that we have in our heads, together,” said Reilly.
Added Hauser: “Our responsibility this year was to get through this year and make it the best it could be. And I think that that’s a big enough responsibility. What needs to happen is it needs to come out and the audience needs to speak. And that’s what they’ve always done with ‘Yellowstone.’ They are the beginning, middle and end to our success. I would love to [continue], hopefully they see it the same way.”
The first two episode of “Dutton Ranch” are on Paramount+ now.
