Taylor Sheridan’s Best ‘Yellowstone’ Spin-Off Is Officially Changing Its Formula in Season 2

It’s official, folks: Dutton Ranch has just found its next leader. After creator Chad Feehan‘s impromptu exit ahead of the series premiere and Taylor Sheridan working at a creative remove from the Yellowstone spin-offs, SEAL Team creator Benjamin Cavell has been named Dutton Ranch‘s new showrunner as the series heads into its second season. As Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) gear up for their next Texas-sized adventure, this is a step in the right direction for the Paramount+ drama, but it could also lead to some interesting changes in the way Dutton Ranch plays out.

‘Dutton Ranch’s New Showrunner Is Also the Creator of ‘SEAL Team’

A showrunner can make or break a series, and while Feehan — who had previously helmed Lawmen: Bass Reeves — reportedly butted heads with some of the cast and crew during Season 1, the results have spoken for themselves. For many, Dutton Ranch is the proper continuation of Yellowstone, and though it follows a pared-down cast, as Beth, Rip, and Carter (Finn Little) travel from Montana to the Lone Star State to start anew, it has largely managed to recapture the essence of what made Sheridan’s original series so successful in the first place. Beth has been reworked as a more well-rounded character rather than falling into caricature territory, Carter has been further developed, and Rip has learned from his past mistakes to become a better man.

Changing showrunners after an inaugural season isn’t always a bad thing. AMC’s Dark Winds followed this same path, with Vince Calandra‘s Season 1 playing quite well. However, come Season 2, former Hell on Wheels showrunner John Wirth took over, helping Dark Winds to find its proper voice and ultimately leading to a more authentic portrayal of the Navajo people. Feehan, no doubt, was pivotal to the first season of Dutton Ranch, but Cavell’s involvement may help the show better emphasize a unique voice outside just being another branch on the Yellowstone tree. Aside from creating SEAL Team, Cavell previously wrote for all six seasons of the neo-Western crime drama Justified (including the series finale, “The Promise,” widely considered one of the best episodes of Western-themed television), and developed made-for-streaming programs like The Stand and The Institute, both based on Stephen King novels, so this isn’t his first rodeo.

All of that said, the actual format of Dutton Ranch as a prestige streaming drama likely won’t change. Just because the guy who created SEAL Team and wrote for Justified is now in charge doesn’t mean the quality will be reduced. Cavell knows how to write for network shows, of course, but he also has experience working for streamers, namely Paramount+ and MGM+. Fans shouldn’t be worried about this news in the slightest, but rather excited to see what he can bring to the table.

Is ‘Dutton Ranch’ More Likely to Cross Over With ‘Marshals’?

With this showrunner announcement, the Yellowstone franchise is now being overseen by not one but two of the people who brought SEAL Team to life. Cavell created the military drama for CBS (and penned several episodes) and served as co-showrunner in the first season, while Marshals creator Spencer Hudnut took over showrunning duties from John Glenn after its second installment, sticking with SEAL Team through its seventh and final season. Both showrunners worked together back in the first season of said CBS-turned-Paramount+ drama when Hudnut was just a writer.

Early on in Marshals‘ first season, Hudnut noted that a Dutton Ranch crossover wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. Of course, the first season of the CBS series also concluded with Kayce’s (Luke Grimes) son Tate (Brecken Merrill) being taken to Texas by friendly rancher-turned-foe Tom Weaver (Chris Mulkey). Sure, Texas is a big state, but that doesn’t seem like a coincidence. Could it be that Beth or Rip (or both) will show up in the second season to help Kayce get his boy back? We won’t rule it out, especially now that Hudnut and Cavell will be working to shape the future of the Yellowstone universe.