[This story contains major spoilers from the season one finale of Dutton Ranch.]
Dutton Ranch is kicking into high gear. Shortly before the release of last week’s finale, the Yellowstone spinoff began to lay out its future — Dutton Ranch was renewed for a second season and named new showrunner Benjamin Cavell to replace the outgoing Chad Feehan.
This first season ended on a major cliffhanger when Beth Dutton, played by star-executive producer Kelly Reilly, and husband Rip Wheeler, played by star-executive producer Cole Hauser, found out that their new partner, 10 Petal ranch boss Beulah (Annette Bening), had conned them into getting into business with the cartel. When they set out to defend themselves, cascading events included a deadly shootout, the death of Beulah’s son Rob-Will (Jai Courtney) and the abduction of Beth and Rip’s adopted son Carter (Finn Little). The finale ended with Carter being hauled off in a van by the family that Beulah scorned when going into business with the Duttons.
The writers soon go back to work on season two, with production slated to begin early 2027. For Reilly and Hauser, this is when the real work starts. “Now we get to make a show that we really are proud of,” Reilly tells The Hollywood Reporter about her excitement to dive into this Dutton Ranch version of Beth.
Yellowstone mastermind Taylor Sheridan is an executive producer on Dutton Ranch, but this was the first time he wasn’t writing Beth Dutton’s words, and that was a scary leap Reilly took when signing on. “I was very uncertain of what this would be without his words. I didn’t know if it was gonna work. I didn’t know if she was going to work. It was like a part of the character had to die in order for me to begin her again,” she says. “Everything comes to an end, and his time with these characters as creative leader, it ended. So there was a moment where we were trying to figure out, ‘How do we do this without him?’ That’s what season one of this was, and he’s really proud of us for doing it. We talk to him now about what the next season could be, and he wants to be involved. So that feels like we earned this second season from all the work we’ve done before, and that’s the thing I’m most proud of.”
Begin again Beth did with Dutton Ranch, and the audience followed. The spinoff was a hit out of the gate and became the biggest original series debut in Paramount+ history. For Hauser, that’s all a big creative relief. “It was not easy doing the show. We put our hearts and souls into this. It was a long shoot. It was hot; it was cold. Everything was thrown at us,” he tells THR. “What I love most is when the audience speaks.”
Below in a post-finale chat, Reilly and Hauser dive into the work they did to pass the Yellowstone baton to the Dutton Ranch team and how they plan to carry that over for season two with new writers and after a finale cliffhanger. “I love Beth and Rip having to care about something,” says Reilly of what’s ahead. “Carter is that. They’re at their best when they’re fighting for somebody else, always.”
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First, congrats on season two! I feel like I predicted that. (Laughs.)
COLE HAUSER The one and only! (Laughs.)
KELLY REILLY Thank you.
When did you find out that you were picked up?
REILLY Officially, just a few weeks ago. Because the numbers were so great and it’s been a success critically and with viewers, everyone’s delighted. We’re like, “We did it.” Now we get to go to real work. Now we get to make a show that we really are proud of.
When we spoke at the start of the season, Cole, you said this franchise audience is very dedicated and if they show up like they have, you’ll feel confident. But you both were hedging your bets. How happy have you been to see the reception?
HAUSER You have to understand that we went from almost nine months of work right into press and the premiere with not a lot of time to breathe. But these last two months flying around the country and seeing the reception — hearing about the numbers, talking to Paramount and looking at the analytics and all the things they allowed us to see — is such a relief. It’s a great accomplishment on Kelly, Christina [Alexandra Voros], [executive producer] David Glasser, the team of writers, Chad [Feehan, season one showrunner], everybody who was a part of the show. It was not easy doing the show. We put our hearts and souls into this. It was a long shoot. It was hot; it was cold. Everything was thrown at us. What I love the most is when the audience speaks. It’s such a relief creatively. The numbers are one thing, and everybody knows that, but to hear the critics, too, this year and the things they said about Kelly, Annette [Bening], Finn Little and myself … it’s just a big thanks.
Beth Dutton is a forever meme and so quotable, as are Beth and Rip together. How much do each of you follow along with what the audience is responding to on social media? Was there anything that surprised you or made you proud they were latching onto?
REILLY I try and deal with it with a healthy distance, but not completely switched off. I think it’s really important to hear some of it. I turn the volume down on the meme world because you don’t want to ruin the water of the creative things you’re interested in following. I always want to keep Beth truthful and have some integrity in her. That’s something where I really went into this season going, “OK, I don’t have Taylor [Sheridan]’s words anymore and it was scary because they are big boots to fill.” Beth, some of her venom and her strength and her power and anger; he wrote that for her and I went, “Got it.” It was one of those beautiful collaborations and I was very uncertain of what this would be without his words. I didn’t know if it was gonna work. I didn’t know if she was going to work. It was almost like a part of the character had to die in order for me to begin her again.
I had ideas of where she should be going in her soul, and there was a real baton exchange. He trusted that the character was now in my hands and so I feel proud of the fact that she is now maturing a little bit. I still enjoy the fire of her — that can’t ever go away. That’s just who she is. But I did feel that after the death of her father [John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner in Yellowstone] and the laying down of the ranch and death of [her brother] Jamie [played by Wes Bentley in Yellowstone], that there was an ending and a new beginning at the same time. It presented itself as the right moment for Beth to go into a different gear shift, and I enjoyed exploring that psychologically. I enjoyed playing a different color of her.
I’m excited to go back into the engine with this maturity. I’ve got all of this knowledge of this character and we get to now explore her with some really brilliant writers, and with Christina Voros and Cole and I together. I get to be the gatekeeper of integrity for Beth, but I want these really smart people to come and help put her in positions and, what does that mean? This has always been a character-driven show, not a plot-driven show — I’m talking about Yellowstone. And I love that. I want more of that in season two of our show, to really delve into that with Annette Bening’s character, Beulah, and with Ed Harris. I really want to explore their characters.
With the way this finale ended, it would have been tragic if you didn’t get another season — Beth and Rip’s son, Carter (Finn Little), is abducted and driven away in a van as a cliffhanger ending. We’ve seen your characters go through loss and grief while fighting for their legacy. But we’ve never seen them as parents to see what lengths they will go to in order to save Carter. What will it be like exploring that layer of Beth and Rip?
HAUSER I don’t wish [what will come for] — whoever it is — when we find them. But to go back to what you first said, the parenting thing was really important this year. Not that we get to do a ton of it — Carter is kind of out doing his thing. But the few scenes that I had with Finn, I really loved, and I want to see more of that. There’s a lot that Rip and Beth can gift him. They’re total opposites when it comes to the way they were raised; the educational part versus knowing land and understanding animals. There are great gifts for both these characters with this new team of writers and [new showrunner] Ben [Cavell] that will be a strong focus for both of us.
REILLY It’s honoring what was, and all the gifts that Taylor Sheridan gave us, of the knowledge and experience for these parts of these characters. We have such spoiled riches, really, of what they carry. Cole and I both do a lot of character work. We now get to take that forward with the new writers. So we’ve done the big heavy lift, which is to move into this new world. I love Beth and Rip having to care about something. That really means something. And Carter is that. The horse was that for Beth. They’re at their best when they’re fighting for somebody else, always.
As executive producers on Dutton Ranch, I imagine you were involved in the process of choosing Benjamin Cavell [to replace Chad Feehan] as showrunner for season two. Had you worked with him before, and what excites you about working with him now — what will he bring to the show?
HAUSER I have a dear friend who worked with him on SEAL Team for six or seven seasons. He’s somebody I trust with my life. We went to boot camp together; a lot of time in the jungle together in Louisiana. So it was his recommendation of Ben, and the way creatively that Ben is and the kind of person he is and how his mind works, and we saw a glimpse of it. We had a very good meeting with him, and I cannot wait for this new iteration of Ben and his team of guys that he hires, along with David Glasser and the people who are involved, and to really sink our teeth into what this next show is going to be. And we’re not there yet. This is very early in the process. But I get home, and I know Kelly is chomping at the bit, and we’ll get into it and have some fun.
REILLY I’m quite looking forward to having a bit of time off! But I’m percolating. Christina Voros is our executive producer, director and lighthouse creative. She’s been with us from season one of Yellowstone. Everything we do goes through her brain because she’s so brilliant, and she’s going to be working with Ben. I feel like we’ve got a bit of an A-team. I think Taylor is going to be involved as far as some story ideas as well, which is great. So I feel excited about a season two because I want it to be better. I want it to be great. I’m excited to get my hands dirty after a bit of time to digest what we’ve just done. I think time and thought is important. You have to have that. It’s not a machine. We all know that it can be, but I like that we have time to really be thoughtful and go, what could this be?
Kelly, you said Dutton Ranch a character-driven show, so I don’t think it’s right to ask if the formula of the show will change for season two, but season one is always a test to see if the audience responds and now that they have, like you said, you get to really make the show now. Taylor was recently talking about how Yellowstone was envisioned as a three-season show, but then it was so successful they had to keep going, which brought about contract changes [with star Kevin Costner]. Are you approaching this now with a long-term vision?
HAUSER I’ve never worked that way. This show is such a tough show, emotionally. There are so many highs and lows throughout a season, in any show, but this one is full on. If you’re not focused solely on what’s in front of you. And ultimately, would it be nice to have a game plan set out for season two? Of course. But what made this last year special is that we worked on our feet, and we can do that now. There’s a confidence that we both built with each other, and with Christina, to be able to do that. Do we want that, ultimately, season after season… ?
REILLY No. (Laughs.)
HAUSER I think it would get old pretty quick.
REILLY I think I might die! An amount of on our feet is great, but I’d like us time to really give it its weight and depth. We have the opportunity now. But there is an excitement in the way we work together as well that has a lot of knowledge of the world we’ve come from. And, as you can tell, Cole and I care a lot. We think a lot about it, and we’ve got a lot of opinions. We’re looking forward to getting into a room together. I want to hear everything Cole has to say. He is always asking and listening to me. It’s a very generous group. We don’t always agree, and that’s great also.
HAUSER Let the best idea win. That’s always been our motto.
REILLY Yes, story is king. There’s no ego of character.
HAUSER That’s with Christina, that’s with Kelly, that’s with David. It’s a big trust thing. This year was about figuring out a lot together as a small unit. Now that we’ve worked through that, we all know what everybody’s intention is, and the intention is that the best idea wins. And that could be, “Hey, Kelly, I’ve got an idea for you, character-wise.” Oh, wonderful. Let me try that. We talk a lot on set. It’s not that the directors aren’t good. It’s that we know each other so well that we fall on each other.
REILLY We give each other notes, which is unheard of. It’s having each other’s backs. He doesn’t have to take them, and I don’t have to take them, but if he’s seen something that I’m doing where he’s like, have you thought about this? He’ll just whisper it in my ear, and I’m like, “Great, I’ll try it” And it’s the same vice versa. He knows that when I say anything to him, it’s because I love him and I’ve got his best interest at heart. We’re never trying to fuck each other up.
It was an honor to work for Taylor, and it was an honor to have him lead us. Everything comes to an end, and his time with these characters as creative leader, it ended. So there was a moment where we were trying to figure out, “How do we do this without him?” That’s what season one of this was. And now we realize that we’ve got it a little bit because of the work we’ve done with him and because of the gifts of these characters he’d given us. And he’s really proud of us for doing it. We talk to him now about what the next season could be, and he wants to be involved. So that feels like we earned this second season from all the work we’ve done before, and that’s the thing I’m most proud of.
When do you go back into production?
REILLY We’re slated to start early 2027 to film. But the room starts up pretty quick. I think we’re going to be very much involved in the room, so the next sort of six months is all about writing it.
Do you imagine that everyone who survived will return for season two?
REILLY Who knows! It’s up for grabs, I think, right now.
HAUSER Everything’s on the table, and that’s the great thing. The one thing that’s más importante is that we get our kid back. That’s going to take a couple episodes, hopefully. But Carter needs to come home.
Taylor also recently spoke about how he never makes a show to win Emmys; he wants his work to appeal to America and feel real and authentic. Do you feel like that’s why Dutton Ranch has been so well received?
REILLY I think that’s our audience. We’re just trying to make good entertainment, and it’s not about anything other than that for me. It’s about going to work, working hard, caring about what you’re doing and hopefully people will enjoy it. We’re storytellers. I think to have it in your head to do it for awards? I’m not sure anybody does that, quite honestly. But I’m proud of what we’ve done.
HAUSER The biggest award you can ever get is for a man or woman or a child to come up and say, “I watched something, and it affected me.” And that’s happened so much throughout the years of doing Yellowstone, and now on Dutton Ranch. Those are the awards I care about. At the end of the day, everybody would love to hold a statue of some kind, but that’s not what drives me whatsoever.
REILLY Me neither.
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Dutton Ranch is now streaming all of season one on Paramount+. Read our show coverage here.
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