Back in the saddle.
Beth and Rip’s long-awaited “Yellowstone” spinoff show “Dutton Ranch” is here, and after some growing pains in a confusing series premiere, it’s come out a winner.
It’s not the most glamorous show – it’s a crime-filled cowboy melodrama, the writing is clunky – but that’s what “Yellowstone” was too, and a great sequel series.
It faithfully reproduces the content as advertised. The film follows sassy Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and her husband Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) as they support each other, threaten each other, and commit felonies in between their daily chores on the ranch.
“Dutton Ranch,” executive produced by “Yellowstone” mastermind Taylor Sheridan (but created by Chad Feehan, who left the film three weeks before its premiere), follows Rip and Beth as they move to a Texas ranch after the events of “Yellowstone.”
Carter (Finn Little), his troubled but kind adopted son, is also finishing up his high school career.
They go about their daily lives while running their new ranch. And they encounter more interesting problems, including arson, possible murder, and hostile new neighbors (led by a tough matriarch played by Annette Bening and her unstable son played by Jai Courtney).
Carter is also peppered with “young love” intrigue.
Ed Harris is another strong-hitting addition to the cast, playing the local vet with the perfect amount of gruff, world-weary charm.
“Yellowstone” (which drew more than 16 million viewers) aired on Paramount from 2018 to 2024, following the Dutton family in Montana. There was patriarch John (Kevin Costner), sons Casey (Luke Grimes) and Jamie (Wes Bentley), daughter Beth, and son-in-law Rip.
John and Jamie did not survive the show.
Casey is still alive but busy with his own show (CBS’s “The Marshalls”). It’s more of a procedural, so while “Dutton Ranch” is a second spinoff of “Yellowstone,” it’s a major successor show with the same spirit and tone.
“Dutton Ranch” is filled with “Yellowstone”-flavored scenes. When Beth tells Lip that she’s having trouble with one of the locals, Lip says dryly, “It’s nice to have a friend, honey.”
There have also been multiple brawls and dramatic fires in parking lots. There are business meetings peppered with veiled threats and extensive shots of horseback riding. Characters give speeches about land, heritage, and cowboy life.
A great hit song is being played.
Costner’s shadow still looms large. John Dutton is mentioned several times.
Locals have elaborate names straight out of an 80s pulp novel, like Beulah (Benning), Oleanna (Natalie Alyn Lind), and Rob Will (Courtney).
The series premiere feels more like a patchwork of disjointed “Yellowstone”-tinged scenes than a coherent story. It smooths out in the second episode, but “Dutton Ranch” has a strangely meandering beginning before the story even begins.
It’s also as delicate as a sledgehammer. There are lines like “God loves cowboys,” and one of the villainous characters literally runs a slaughterhouse.
The writing ranges from half-hearted to clumsy (there’s a faux-profound conversation about how the Texas sky lasts forever; oh yeah, no one has ever made an observation like that before!).
But then again, most “Yellowstone” viewers were there to watch cowboys kick butt and earn names, not to take note of the subtle, high-minded writing. “Dutton Ranch” has a lot of that, along with strong performances.
There’s plenty of scenery for great actors like Harris and Benning to chew on, some compelling story threads, and, of course, Beth Dutton’s tough-talking antics.
The 16 million people who tune in to Yellowstone will likely enjoy “Dutton Ranch.”
“Dutton Ranch” will premiere on Paramount and Paramount+ on May 15 at 8 p.m.
