“Dutton Ranch” exceeded all expectations when the “Yellowstone” spinoff debuted back in May.
The two-episode series premiere set a new record for Paramount+, garnering nearly 13 million global views within its first seven days of release to become the streamer’s biggest original series launch ever.
Getting the show onto the screen, however, involved some intense challenges that viewers were not aware of when they watched.
Unpredictable Texas Weather
In a new interview with People, star Cole Hauser — who reprises Rip Wheeler on the show — discussed how the Texas weather shifted in some extreme directions.
“I think it was the end of the nine months of work, so I think I was a bit wiped out. The cast and crew were wiped out,” he said, recalling how the ever-changing weather conditions played havoc with production.
“We went through a lot of weather issues with the heat, then the freezing cold, and there were ice storms,” he shared. “It was just nuts.”
Resetting for Season 2
By the time the nine-episode season had been completed, the cast and crew had been pushed to their limits.
“I think everybody at the very end of episode 9 was ready to take a breather, go home, rest up and get ready for this next year,” he told People.
Looking back on the experience, Hauser can now see that the hardships experienced while making Season 1 have only made him appreciate the massive success of “Dutton Ranch” that much more.
“All in all, I think the whole season was tough, but it was very rewarding in the end,” he admitted.
“The audience loved it. The critics loved it,” he continued. “I can’t wait to continue to make ‘Dutton Ranch’ as good as it can be.”
A New Start for ‘Dutton Ranch’
Weather wasn’t the only factor that created challenges for the first season of “Dutton Ranch.”
Because the series’ executive producer Taylor Sheridan was juggling so many other shows, Chad Feehan was enlisted as showrunner. However, reports indicated that Feehan clashed with the series’ actors.
That ultimately came to a head when a behind-the-scenes shakeup led to Feehan parting ways with the show.
He was replaced by Benjamin Cavell (whose credits include “SEAL Team” and “Justified”), who will take on showrunning duties for Season 2 (Sheridan has also said he’ll be more involved in the second season).
‘It Was Certainly a Challenge’
Hauser addressed that behind-the-scenes turmoil when he spoke with Film Inside NYC.
“There were challenges, you know?” he recalled.
“Not having Taylor [Sheridan] there, for us to really kind of be able to work with these new writers, these new directors, these people — everything had changed,” Hauser continued.
“I enjoy a challenge, it certainly was a challenge,” he said. “We worked our [behinds] off this year. And I don’t think a lot of the outside noise or the thought of ‘what’s the weight of the show?’ was really apparent to me at the time.”
Recalling the experience, Hauser tried to ignore the noise and make the most out of what he had to work with.
“It was about putting my head down and working my [behind] off with what I had around me,” he explained.
“The writers that we had, the new writers that we had, that we had to figure out on our feet how to really perform and tell a story,” Hauser added. “So, I’m proud of what we accomplished, and I look forward to doing it again.”
