It's Officially The End Of An Era For Dutton Ranch

Published Sep 5, 2026, 7:00 AM EDT

Sean is a senior writer for ScreenRant and has been writing about new TV releases since December 2023. He has received multiple advance screenings of popular shows and ideated his own coverage read by hundreds of thousands of readers.

Sean is a self-published author of a Western novel. Sean has also written award-winning opinion pieces related to local politics while getting his Bachelor's degree in journalism.

It's officially the end of an era for Dutton Ranch as the Yellowstone sequel show enters its second season. Dutton Ranch season 1, like the rest of Taylor Sheridan's shows, was an instant hit. Dutton Ranch got great reviews, it broke viewership records for Paramount+, and Dutton Ranch season 2 was very quickly renewed. It's easily one of the most successful Yellowstone spinoff shows, and its future looks very bright.

Dutton Ranch wasn't, however, without fault. By the end of Dutton Ranch season 1, many viewers had voiced criticism about the way Beth and Rip were portrayed, for example. Both Beth and Rip seemed much more mellow and subdued, especially compared to their fiery personalities and often expletive-filled one-liners in Yellowstone. That, coupled with the show's decision to leave Montana for Texas, made Dutton Ranch feel less like a sequel to Yellowstone and more like a separate show entirely.

So, Dutton Ranch has been an enjoyable but imperfect sequel to Yellowstone so far. The era of it being an imperfect spinoff show, however, may soon be coming to a close. Dutton Ranch has had quite a few changes behind the scenes ahead of season 2's 2027 release window. While that's usually a bad thing for a show, in Dutton Ranch's case, some of these changes may actually be a blessing, and they could make the second season significantly better than the first.

Dutton Ranch Season 2 Has Some Major Behind-The-Scenes Changes In Store

Dutton Ranch season 1 was created by Chad Feehan, who also served as the series' showrunner in season 1. A new report, however, has confirmed that Feehan is being replaced as Dutton Ranch's showrunner by Benjamin Cavell, who previously wrote for shows like Justified and SEAL Team. Replacing a showrunner between seasons almost always results in a change in a show's creative vision, but in Dutton Ranch's case, that could be a good thing.

Along with Cavell, Dutton Ranch is also bringing on Taylor Sheridan in a more creative capacity. Sheridan worked only as an executive producer on Dutton Ranch season 1, and not as a writer. Sheridan's absence, along with Feehan's creative vision, is likely the reason Dutton Ranch made some questionable decisions with Beth and Rip's characterization and some of the show's less praised plot points.

Cavell can bring a new perspective and a new creative direction to Dutton Ranch season 2, while Sheridan can help bring the show's overall tone and characterization more inline with what he wrote in Yellowstone. These reports signal a massive shift for Dutton Ranch, and an end to the era of the show defined by Chad Feehan's creative vision. The show is definitely going to feel different with such significant behind-the-scenes changes, and that should be in the series' benefit.

Dutton Ranch Could Feel Much More Like Yellowstone In Season 2

With Taylor Sheridan and Benjamin Cavell taking the creative reins of Dutton Ranch season 2, the show has a unique opportunity to align itself with Yellowstone. As previously mentioned, one of the chief complaints about Dutton Ranch season 1 was the changes it made to Yellowstone. Now that Sheridan and Cavell are in control, however, they can undo some of the changes Chad Feehan made and, hopefully, make the show more appealing to Yellowstone fans.

Sheridan joining the writers' room of Dutton Ranch alone would likely be enough to inject the show with a healthy dose of Yellowstone. After all, he created the characters of Beth and Rip, and he has a fairly consistent creative voice across all his shows, even ones that aren't connected to Yellowstone. With Sheridan taking a hands-on approach, Dutton Ranch may get grittier, smarter, more suspenseful, and just all-around better from a writing perspective.

Cavell's influence on Dutton Ranch season 2 also can't be overstated. As previously mentioned, Cavell has a lot of experience with neo-Westerns, having written dozens of episodes of Justified in the past. If anyone knows how to make a neo-Western like Dutton Ranch better, it's Cavell. Sheridan's help certainly can't hurt his chances, as well. With this new leadership, Dutton Ranch is entering a much brighter era.

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  Rip Wheeler

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  Beth Dutton