“Dutton Ranch” has been one of television’s biggest success stories in recent years.
The “Yellowstone” spinoff focusing on Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) broke viewership records for Paramount+, ranking as the biggest original series debut in the the streamer’s history while amassing viewership of more than 19 million across multiple platforms within its first 35 days of release.
Behind-the-Scenes Conflict
While fans clearly love the show, the road to getting “Dutton Ranch” to viewers was reportedly a bumpy one.
Because exec producer Taylor Sheridan has so many other irons in the fire, he stepped back from “Dutton Ranch” and handed the reins to showrunner Chad Feehan. However, reports indicated that Feehan clashed with the series’ actors.
That led to a behind-the-scenes shakeup when Feehan ultimately left the show, replaced by Benjamin Cavell (whose credits include “SEAL Team” and “Justified”) as showrunner for the second season. Meawhile, Sheridan himself has promised he’ll be more involved in Season 2.
‘There Were Challenges’
According to Hauser, the biggest issue he had with “Dutton Ranch” was Sheridan’s hands-off approach — a marked difference from the way they’d worked together on “Yellowstone.”
“There were challenges, you know?” Hauser explained in an interview with Film Inside NYC.
“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,” he shared.
In fact, Hauser said that the “only normality that we had whatsoever on set” was himself and fellow “Yellowstone” co-stars Reilly and Finn Little, along with the behind-the-scenes continuity offered by veteran “Yellowstone” director Christina Alexandra Voros (who directed all of the Season 1 episodes).
Cole Hauser Is ‘Proud’ of ‘Dutton Ranch’
In hindsight, Hauser is proud of what they’d brought to the screen, but admitted it hadn’t been easy.
“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.”
For Hauser, the experience taught him a tough lesson in how to make the best out of a less-than-ideal situation.
“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.”
Director Christina Alexandra Voros Was the Key
Interviewed by Esquire, “Yellowstone” director Voros — who’d also directed “The Madison” — said that she felt the weight of honoring the original show when tackling the spinoff.
“I can’t remember when the first time was that I heard it mentioned, but as soon as I heard about its existence, I wanted to be a part of it,” she said of “Dutton Ranch,” emphasizing the close bonds she’s developed with Hauser and Reilly.
“I would quite literally walk through fire for Kelly and Cole,” she said. “They are like family to me. They’re like the brother and sister that I always wanted. We have been through so much and we have grown so much as artists and as storytellers together. Seeing them step into this show is a beautiful thing to watch. So well-deserved and taken so seriously.”
