‘Dutton Ranch’ stars Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly react to showrunner’s abrupt exit

The horse has left the stable. 

“Dutton Ranch” stars Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly have weighed in on showrunner Chad Feehan’s abrupt exit. 

“Showrunners change all the time,” Hauser, 51, told the Hollywood Reporter.  “This business is about adapting. We’ve been doing this for a long time.”

“Things change. People move on,” the actor added. 

In the story published Wednesday, Reilly, 48, also told the outlet that the cast and crew finished Season 1 “beautifully” with Feehan involved.

“We finished this season together. It was a really difficult but really satisfying show to make. And so was ‘Yellowstone.’ So is anything worth making,” she said.

“We’re all creative minds and we all work together and I’m so proud of that.”

“Dutton Ranch” is a “Yellowstone” spinoff, following Rip (Hauser) and Beth (Reilly) after the events of the hit cowboy drama, which starred Kevin Costner as Beth’s now-deceased father. 

“Yellowstone” mastermind Taylor Sheridan produces the show, but Chad Feehan was the Season 1 showrunner. 

Just three weeks before “Dutton Ranch” premiered, a source told Page Six in April, “Chad won’t be returning should the show be picked up for a second season.” 

Hauser told HR that as exec producer, he wanted to make sure that all the actors felt “comfortable” and had a “voice,” and Reilly said she doesn’t think anyone knows Beth better than her, and felt “strongly” about “protecting” that.

On Wednesday, Paramount announced that the show has been renewed for a Season 2. Per the network, nearly 13 million people tuned in on streaming its first week, and it was the biggest show on cable since 2023. 

A new showrunner hasn’t been announced, yet. 

“Dutton Ranch” exec producer and director Christina Alexandra Voros, who also worked on several Sheridan shows such as “The Madison,” “Yellowstone,” and “1883” exclusively told Page Six in May, “Taylor is very good at pulling a team of people together that he trusts.”

“Dutton Ranch” airs Fridays on Paramount Network and Paramount+.