Why Dutton Ranch Season 2 Has Us Worried

"Dutton Ranch" is easily the best "Yellowstone" spin-off. But it hasn't been without its issues, and now it looks as though stars Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser are planning to make Season 2 less of the Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler show. What's more, the series has a new showrunner whose previous big TV project doesn't bode well — all of which has us a tad worried.

"Dutton Ranch" Episode 5 ruined the show's most interesting storyline, with Rip Wheeler (Hauser) being forced to cull his entire herd following a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. That essentially left the proprietors of Dutton Ranch without a ranch, calling into question what a show called "Dutton Ranch" would actually be about. Well, it turns out it might as well have been called "10 Petal Ranch," as the series very quickly had Beth Dutton (Reilly) and Rip form an alliance with Annette Bening's Beulah Jackson and her rival ranch. After that, the show focused much more on the 10 Petal than anything else, as Beth and Rip almost became supporting characters.

"Dutton Ranch" has already been renewed for Season 2, but the latest indications from Reilly and Hauser don't sound all that reassuring. In an interview with TVInsider, Reilly confirmed that Beulah Jackson and Ed Harris' Everett McKinney are going to essentially become co-series leads. As Reilly put it, "I think Season 2 is going to feel very much more Ed's show. This is not the Beth and Rip show. This is 'Dutton Ranch,' and there's four lead characters, five." That would be fine if fans hadn't been expecting the Beth-and-Rip show.

After Rip Wheeler and his ranch hands wiped out their cattle, "Dutton Ranch" was in danger of becoming as aimless as fellow "Yellowstone" spin-off "Marshals." Thankfully, the remaining episodes didn't suffer too much. Though the ranch vs. ranch dynamic basically evaporated, we got plenty of Taylor Sheridan-esque melodrama, excellent performances, and a story that remained compelling enough.

But fans weren't necessarily thrilled at Beth and Rip becoming increasingly sidelined. "Dutton Ranch" Episode 7 in particular was the best and worst of the show, giving us plenty of interpersonal drama but pretty much overlooking Beth and Rip for most of the runtime. Instead, we got non-stop 10 Petal Ranch politics. With all that in mind, fans will no doubt be eager to see Rip and Beth take the spotlight again in Season 2, especially given Beth's line in the season finale about how if the cartel wanted them, they were going to "F****** get us." 

Alas, it seems the opposite might happen, and all because Kelly Reilly feels Annette Bening and Ed Harris give her show legitimacy. "It's such a privilege to have them come join our show," she told TVInsider. "I've said this before, I feel like they made us legit. We could have just been a little soapy spinoff, and we're not because of them." There's absolutely no doubt that Harris and Bening bring prestige to "Dutton Ranch." But fans have been eager to see a continuation of Rip and Beth's story precisely because the characters are so compelling and beloved. 

So, while Bening and Harris are excellent in their roles, the show doesn't need them to remain interesting. Reilly, Hauser, and the producers should allow Beth and Rip to reclaim the spotlight in Season 2.

"Dutton Ranch" premiered in May 2026, but by that point, there was already off-camera drama. In April 2026, the "Yellowstone" spin-off fired its showrunner, Chad Feehan, following some behind-the-scenes issues. According to reports, Feehan clashed with Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly, which was one of the main factors at play in his dismissal. Then, in June 2026, the show hired a new showrunner.

Benjamin Cavell has worked on everything from "Justified" to Paramount's "The Stand," and was confirmed as the new "Dutton Ranch" showrunner following Feehan's exit. The thing is, Cavell's most significant credit is as creator and writer of CBS's "SEAL Team." Why is that a problem? Well, hopefully it isn't. But "SEAL Team" is the same show from which Spencer Hudnut hails, having acted as showrunner for five seasons, during which time he wrote multiple episodes. Hudnut is also the showrunner on "Marshals," and if you haven't heard, "Marshals" isn't as enjoyed by the fans. Luke Grimes' CBS procedural got off to a bad start when it killed off a controversial "Yellowstone" character in the worst way possible. Things only got worse from there, with the series struggling to maintain the tone established by Taylor Sheridan on the mothership series and delivering some of the most cringe-inducing dialogue of the year.

Do we need more "SEAL Team" alum in the Sheridan-verse? Maybe, maybe not. But coupled with Reilly and Hauser's comments about focusing more on characters other than Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, it doesn't bode well.