2 min read
Yellowstone is back—for real this time. After the disappointment that was (and continues to be) Marshals, I was bracing for Paramount to disappoint us again by the time the network finally announced Dutton Ranch. But if anyone’s going to save the Dutton family name for the foreseeable future, it’s Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly. Kicking down doors and throwing Molotov cocktails into the bar, Rip Wheeler and Beth Dutton return in the Yellowstone spin-off’s first teaser, which is looking like a true sequel for diehard Duttonheads.
Dutton Ranch follows the two lovebirds after the sale of their family’s Montana ranch in the Yellowstone season 5 finale, when Beth purchased land in Texas for her and her husband to start a new life together. But as the official logline reveals, that doesn’t mean they’ve left all their troubles behind. “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,” the press release states. If the first teaser’s explosions—set to “Till I Collapse” by Eminem and Nate Dogg, mind you—are any indication of what’s to come, then we’re in for a real ride.
Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser) and official back for Dutton Ranch.
“[Rip and Beth’s] relationship is flawed, and I think Taylor’s done a great job over the seven years we’ve been filming to make them as real as possible,” Hauser told Esquire near the end of Yellowstone season 5. “They are not perfect, but I’ve heard from the audience over the years that that’s why they love them so much, and I agree.”
Ed Harris and Annette Bening will join Hauser and Reilly for the new series, alongside returning Yellowstone actor Finn Little as Beth and Rip’s adopted son, Carter. Paramount has also cast Juan Pablo Raba (Narcos), Jai Courtney (Suicide Squad), J.R. Villarreal (Freeridge), Marc Menchaca (Dexter: Resurrection), and Natalie Alyn Lind (Big Sky).
Though Beth and Rip have a new home, they’re the ones who are intruding on Texas’s status quo this time around. I would love to see Harris and Bening play the villains—possibly as the old Texas couple who view the newcomers are dangerous threats on their business. But we’ll find out just what danger awaits Beth and Rip soon.
Ed Harris (right) joins Kelly Reilly (left) in the upcoming ’Yellowstone’ spin-off, ’Dutton Ranch.’
Fans will also be happy to hear that Taylor Sheridan wrote the script for Dutton Ranch, especially after he took his hands off the reins for Marshals. Christina Alexandra Voros (The Madison) and Greg Yaitanes (Spider-Man Noir) will direct, with Chad Feehan (Lawman: Bass Reeves) serving as the official showrunner.
The nine-episode first season will premiere on May 15 with two episodes, followed by weekly episode drops at 8pm ET/PT on Paramount+ and the Paramount Network. For more, check out the first official images from Dutton Ranch below.
