Taylor Sheridan’s TV empire has never exactly been short on drama behind the scenes, but this latest shake-up is landing at a pretty awkward moment and it’s a pretty embarrassing one at that. Dutton Ranch is still weeks away from making its debut, with the Beth and Rip-led spinoff set to launch as one of Paramount+’s biggest spring plays. The series is supposed to push two of Yellowstone’s most popular characters into a new chapter in South Texas, and all of that is still happening, but just before the show gets in front of audiences, it’s already losing the person who ran its first season. Which could mean nothing, or it could mean the season is shaping up to be a disaster.
According to Variety, Chad Feehan will not return as showrunner on Dutton Ranch if the series is renewed for a second season. The report notes that Feehan ran Season 1 and is also credited as the show’s creator, based on characters created by Sheridan and John Linson, but that he is now out in that role ahead of the show’s May 15 premiere. Variety also cites a prior Puck report claiming that Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, Sheridan, and 101 Studios boss David Glasser were unhappy with Feehan’s handling of production after Season 1 was completed.
The odd thing is, this isn’t even the first time this has happened in the last year with a Sheridan-produced series. Tulsa King began production on Season 4 without a showrunner in place, while Frisco King also went through its own leadership change before cameras rolled, so that makes this feel less of a random one-off and more of a larger pattern over how these shows are overseen.
Who Stars in ‘Dutton Ranch’?
The cast of Dutton Ranch is led by Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton and Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler, with Finn Little returning as Carter alongside Juan Pablo Raba, Jai Courtney, J.R. Villarreal, Marc Menchaca, Natalie Alyn Lind, Ed Harris, and Annette Bening. The official synopsis reads:
“As Beth and Rip fight to build a future together – far from the ghosts of Yellowstone — they collide with brutal new realities and a ruthless rival ranch that will stop at nothing to protect its empire. In South Texas, blood runs deeper, forgiveness is fleeting, and the cost of survival might just be your soul.”
Dutton Ranch premieres on May 15.
via Collider