What Are the Biggest ‘Dutton Ranch’ Season 2 Changes? From Cast Drama to Showrunner Switch

Dutton Ranch has found success on Paramount+ while going through some major changes including cast drama and other surprise shakeups.

The hit Paramount+ franchise started with Taylor Sheridan‘s hit series Yellowstone, which premiered in 2018. Fans got to know Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser’s 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’ CBS show Marshals and Dutton Ranch.

Dutton Ranch 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 the show could go from here.

“I think we’re taking it one season at a time,” Reilly told The Hollywood Reporter in July 2026 about the spinoff’s future, before Hauser noted, “This has been a beast. We haven’t had any time to even think about it either. We literally filmed [until] the end of March and we’ve been on the road selling the show.”

Reilly hinted there might be a story line in place — at least for season 2.

“I think we have some ideas about season 2, with where we left season 1,” she shared. “We can’t talk about the ending, but we’re super excited about where it goes and so we already know sort of where the beginning is and that’s exciting.”

Keep scrolling for everything to know about the Dutton Ranch changes:

Showrunner Swap

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

Sheridan and his producing partner, David Glasser, 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 was brought in to take over as showrunner for season 2.

“Showrunners change all the time. This business is about adapting,” Hauser told The Hollywood Reporter in June 2026. “We’ve been doing this for a long time. Things change. People move on.”

Reilly had a similar outlook on the shakeup.

“It was a really difficult but really satisfying show to make,” she said. “And so was Yellowstone. So is anything worth making. We’re all creative minds and we all work together and I’m so proud of that.”

Ed Harris’ Reaction to His Season 1 Story Line

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.

Harris’ 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.

“Midway through this first season, I was ready to say, ‘Get me the f**k out of here,’ to tell you the truth,” the actor said in an interview with Variety in July 2026. “I didn’t feel like I was being used. I felt a bit misled.”

Harris shared that he told the Dutton Ranch crew that he felt “underused and inconsequential” and claimed that he was told he “will have a little bit more to do” next season.

“It was just a little frustrating, to tell you the truth. When I watched it, I watched this season, and it’s fine,” he admitted. “I 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.”

Us reached out to Paramount for comment at the time.

Character Changes

Jai Courtney likely won’t be back in season 2 after his character was killed off. Other characters who suffered from onscreen deaths include Hart Denton‘s Chet and Ray McKinnon‘s Dwight.

Taylor Sheridan’s Absence

Sheridan began his TV empire with Yellowstone, which aired from 2018 to 2024. He was an executive producer on Dutton Ranch but wasn’t involved in the day to day duties of crafting the show.

Reilly, who plays Beth, reflected on filming season 1 without Sheridan being as active behind the scenes, telling The Hollywood Reporter in July 2026, “I was very uncertain of what this would be without his words. I didn’t know if it was gonna work. I didn’t 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.”

Reilly was grateful for the challenge.

“Everything comes to an end, and his time with these characters as creative leader, it ended. So there was a moment where we were trying to figure out, ‘How do we do this without him?’” she recalled. “That’s what season one of this was, and he’s really proud of us for doing it.”

Reilly continued: “We talk to him now about what the next season could be, and he wants to be involved. So that feels like we earned this second season from all the work we’ve done before, and that’s the thing I’m most proud of.”