{"id":257935,"date":"2026-08-17T00:00:38","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T00:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/17\/what-are-the-biggest-dutton-ranch-season-2-changes-from-cast-drama-to-showrunner-switch\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T00:00:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T00:00:38","slug":"what-are-the-biggest-dutton-ranch-season-2-changes-from-cast-drama-to-showrunner-switch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/17\/what-are-the-biggest-dutton-ranch-season-2-changes-from-cast-drama-to-showrunner-switch\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are the Biggest \u2018Dutton Ranch\u2019 Season 2 Changes? From Cast Drama to Showrunner Switch"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Dutton Ranch<\/em><\/a> has found success on Paramount+ while going through some major changes<\/a> including cast drama and other surprise shakeups.<\/p>\n

The hit Paramount+ franchise started with Taylor Sheridan<\/strong>\u2018s hit series Yellowstone<\/em><\/a>, which premiered in 2018. Fans got to know Kelly Reilly <\/strong>and Cole Hauser<\/strong>\u2019s characters, Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, who had a decades-long relationship enduring peaks and pitfalls. The original show came to an end in 2024, later expanding its universe with Luke Grimes\u2019 CBS show Marshals and Dutton Ranch.<\/p>\n

Dutton Ranch<\/em> quickly found success when it premiered on Paramount+ in 2026. Off screen, there were some changes including a showrunner swap. After the show was renewed, Reilly and Hauser weighed in on where<\/a> the show could go from here.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re taking it one season at a time,\u201d Reilly told The Hollywood Reporter<\/em> in July 2026 about the spinoff\u2019s future, before Hauser noted, \u201cThis has been a beast. We haven\u2019t had any time to even think about it either. We literally filmed [until] the end of March and we\u2019ve been on the road selling the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Is Yellowstone’s ‘Dutton Ranch’ Returning for Season 2 Amid Pregnancy Twist?<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\t\t\tYellowstone\u2018s spinoff Dutton Ranch ended with some shocking twists \u2014 including a pregnancy reveal \u2014 but is the show returning for season 2? The hit Paramount+ franchise started with Taylor Sheridan\u2018s hit series Yellowstone, which premiered in 2018. Fans got to know Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser\u2019s characters, Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, who had [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Reilly hinted there might be a story line in place \u2014 at least for season 2.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have some ideas about season 2, with where we left season 1,\u201d she shared. \u201cWe can\u2019t talk about the ending, but we\u2019re super excited about where it goes and so we already know sort of where the beginning is and that\u2019s exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep scrolling for everything to know about the Dutton Ranch<\/em> changes:<\/p>\n

Showrunner Swap<\/h2>\n

Weeks before Dutton Ranch<\/em>\u2019s debut in May 2026, Us confirmed that Chad Feehan<\/strong> will not return as showrunner after completing work on season 1. Puck News reported that Feehan, who created Lawmen: Bass Reeves<\/em> with Sheridan, stepped away from Dutton Ranch<\/em> after alleged friction with series stars Hauser and Reilly, among others.<\/p>\n

Sheridan and his producing partner, David Glasser<\/strong>, along with the two leads, were allegedly more unhappy with how Feehan ran the production than with the scripts. None of them have publicly addressed the speculation about the drama. Benjamin Cavell<\/strong> was brought in to take over as showrunner for season 2.<\/p>\n

\u201cShowrunners change all the time. This business is about adapting,\u201d Hauser told The Hollywood Reporter in June 2026. \u201cWe\u2019ve been doing this for a long time. Things change. People move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reilly had a similar outlook on the shakeup.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a really difficult but really satisfying show to make,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd so was Yellowstone. So is anything worth making. We\u2019re all creative minds and we all work together and I\u2019m so proud of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ed Harris\u2019 Reaction to His Season 1 Story Line<\/h2>\n

Deadline reported that Harris is expected to return in the sophomore season after he previously revealed he has a two-year deal for Dutton Ranch and the outlet noted that there is an option for a third season.<\/p>\n

Harris\u2019 issues were allegedly largely related to the creative aspect of the show. After his character, Everett McKinney, was barely featured in season 1, Harris candidly shared he was not happy with how his role began.<\/p>\n

\u201cMidway through this first season, I was ready to say, \u2018Get me the f**k out of here,\u2019 to tell you the truth,\u201d the actor said in an interview with Variety in July 2026. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel like I was being used. I felt a bit misled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harris shared that he told the Dutton Ranch crew<\/a> that he felt \u201cunderused and inconsequential\u201d and claimed that he was told he \u201cwill have a little bit more to do\u201d next season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just a little frustrating, to tell you the truth. When I watched it, I watched this season, and it\u2019s fine,\u201d he admitted. \u201cI thought it was pretty good. I felt fine about what I did in it and it seemed like I was relatively important to the story. But the doing of it did not feel that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Us<\/em> reached out to Paramount for comment at the time.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
\"Yellowstone's<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Which ‘Dutton Ranch’ Stars Are, Aren’t Returning After Season 2 Changes?<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\t\t\tDutton Ranch is officially renewed \u2014 but not everyone is coming back in season 2. Paramount+\u2019s hit franchise started with Yellowstone, which premiered in 2018 and introduced viewers to the fictional Dutton family. The show came to an end in 2024, expanding its universe with Luke Grimes\u2018 CBS show Marshals and Dutton Ranch. \u201cAs Beth [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Character Changes<\/h2>\n

Jai Courtney<\/strong> likely won\u2019t be back in season 2 after his character was killed off. Other characters who suffered from onscreen deaths include Hart Denton<\/strong>\u2018s Chet and Ray McKinnon<\/strong>\u2018s Dwight.<\/p>\n

Taylor Sheridan\u2019s Absence<\/h2>\n

Sheridan began his TV empire with Yellowstone<\/em>, which aired from 2018 to 2024. He was an executive producer on Dutton Ranch<\/em> but wasn\u2019t involved in the day to day duties of crafting the show.<\/p>\n

Reilly, who plays Beth, reflected on filming season 1 without Sheridan being as active behind the scenes, telling The Hollywood Reporter in July 2026, \u201cI was very uncertain of what this would be without his words. I didn\u2019t know if it was gonna work. I didn\u2019t know if she was going to work. It was like a part of the character had to die in order for me to begin her again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\"\"
\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n