The Yellowstone spinoff Dutton Ranch is going to have to rustle up a new showrunner.
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| L-R: Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton and Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler in Dutton Ranch, episode 8, season 1, streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: Emerson Miller/Paramount+. |
Chad Feehan, who served as showrunner on the show’s first season, will not be returning in that role should it get renewed for Season 2,
Variety has confirmed. Given
Yellowstone mastermind Taylor Sheridan‘s successful track record at Paramount+, that renewal seems more than likely.
Showrunner changes on Taylor Sheridan series are fairly common. It is unclear whether Feehan will be replaced if/when Dutton Ranch is renewed for a second season; a number of series in the Taylor-verse don’t have traditional writing showrunners, often relying on directors who serve in that capacity on set.
Dutton Ranch follows Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser) after the events of the mothership series. It will debut with its first two episodes on Friday, May 15 on Paramount+ and at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Paramount Network, followed by one new episode weekly thereafter. The first season consists of nine episodes.
It is unclear when exactly Feehan departed the new series, but sources have told
Deadline that he oversaw the finished first season. As for the reasons why he won’t be returning, while he delivered as a writer, Feehan faced challenges handling the bold-faced cast, a key component of showrunner’s job.
According to a report from
Puck, Reilly, Hauser, Sheridan, and 101 Studios boss David Glasser were unsatisfied with Feehan’s handling of the production upon completion of the first season. Feehan is also the credited creator of the series, based on characters created by Sheridan and John Linson. This is the second Sheridan series Feehan had created following
Lawmen: Bass Reeves.
This is the latest showrunner drama on a Sheridan series. It was previously reported that Tulsa King went into production on its fourth season without a showrunner in place. Instead, it relied on Scott Stone, executive in charge of production from 101 Studios, to oversee the show day to day. Prior to that, Dave Erickson was set to showrun the Tulsa King spinoff Frisco King (fka NOLA King), but he was removed from that role before cameras rolled.
The official logline for the show states, “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. In South Texas, blood runs deeper, forgiveness is fleeting, and the cost of survival might just be your soul.”
The cast of Season 1 also includes Finn Little (who played Carter in the original show), Juan Pablo Raba, Jai Courtney, J.R. Villarreal, Marc Menchaca, Natalie Alyn Lind, and Ed Harris and Annette Bening
Sheridan and Linson executive produce along with Glasser, Art Linson, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin, Bob Yari, Christina Alexandra Voros, Michael Friedman, Hauser, Reilly, and Keith Cox. In addition to executive producing, Voros also directed multiple episodes this season, including the premiere and the season finale. Greg Yaitanes, Jessica Lowrey, and Phil Abraham also served as directors this season. Paramount Television Studios and 101 Studios produce.
Update (5/25) - With
Dutton Ranch losing its creator and showrunner nearly a month before its premiere, Christina Voros has
shared her reaction.
The Paramount+ show’s executive producer and director praised Chad Feehan for “creating a world for these characters to move into” with the Yellowstone spin-off, which he departed after completing the first season.
“I think Chad [Feehan] did an exceptional job building a world of adversaries for Rip and Beth to come up against in this new chapter of their lives,” Voros told
ScreenRant. “As far as the dynamics behind his departure and this is our first — we haven’t come out into the world yet, so any speculation about a season 2 is beyond my knowledge. I’m grateful to him and his team for creating a world for these characters to move into.”
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Originally published: April 27, 2026.
