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Let’s start by making one thing clear: Dutton Ranch is not Yellowstone. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that it’s not really even a Yellowstone spinoff. Sure, we’re following indestructible ranchers Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) a year after the events of Yellowstone season 5 part 2, but that’s where the similarities end.
If anything, Dutton Ranch is fusing the soap opera stylings of The Madison with the brash, Texan tenacity of Landman into one incredibly bingeable product. If Taylor Sheridan had the TV equivalent of a greatest hits album, it would be this (and he’s not even serving as the showrunner here). New beginnings run thick and fast through this series — and that’s as much for us as it is for Beth and Rip.
I’m no stranger to stereotypical TV small-town drama, and Dutton Ranch is about as high-stakes as it gets. Not everybody is going to love what Beth and Rip’s story has become, but the moment you let go of your Yellowstone pre-conceived ideas, the new series can settle in — and it’s got strong enough legs to be one of the best TV shows of the year.
Moving away from Yellowstone is the healthiest approach that Dutton Ranch could have taken
If Dutton Ranch was going to happen, it needed a clean break in the form of a physical relocation. Despite consistently being faced with an exhausting level of trouble, Beth and Rip have taken to Texan life like ducks to water. They waste no time getting their ranch set up and their reputations established, which means juicy backstabbing is ripe from the off.
Beth particularly finds a good sparring partner in Beulah, with the two tearing lumps out of each other from the moment they meet. This is where Beth is in her element — arm her with a pair of stilettos and a killer one-line insult, and she can conquer just about anything.
For Rip, we’re seeing his tender side. He’s quick to take the ranch’s former wranglers, Azul (J.R. Villarreal) and Zachariah (Marc Menchaca), under his wing, expecting a lot but asking no questions in return. He continues to put Beth’s emotional needs before his own, but also isn’t afraid to throw some spectacular punches when things get nasty with the locals.
Even in the first few episodes alone, the scope for character growth feels as endless as the Texan plains. John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) legacy hasn’t been completely shaken off, but to leave home is to grow, as the old social mantra goes. If anything, Beth is able to miss her dad more now that there’s a significant distance between her and her old life.
Beth and Rip’s future could be even stronger if Sheridan got back in the showrunner saddle
If you’ve been following along with Dutton Ranch updates prior to its release, you’ll know that it’s run into a spot of showrunner trouble. Chad Feehan has already exited the show, leaving a spot wide open for a new showrunner to take charge. For me, this needs to be Sheridan.
The series is already in a strong place, but the way to cement its five-star status (and a TV legacy that could rival Yellowstone) is for Sheridan to be more hands-on than just executive producing. We know how incredibly well he writes a script and how succinctly effortless his handle on a storyline is. In essence, Sheridan is the missing ingredient in his own creation.
Truthfully, we don’t really care about anyone other than Beth, Rip, and Carter (Finn Little). As incredible as Bening, Harris, and the like are, they will remain secondary in importance from now until the end of time. The more Yellowstone that can be subtly injected into Dutton Ranch, the more successful that it will be.
For now, at least, the two are separate beasts, and it works well. But when it comes to Yellowstone, Dutton Ranch is damned either way. It’s too close to the source material not to acknowledge its own history properly, but it could come unstuck further down the line by its decision to frame itself as a standalone of sorts.
But Beth and Rip can never truly be losers, can they? I’d put good money on this not being the last we see of them, either.
Dutton Ranch premieres on Paramount+ with two episodes on May 15, with the remaining seven episodes airing weekly after.
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jasmine.valentine@futurenet.com (Jasmine Valentine)
