Trouble at the Ranch – Dutton Ranch Loses Its Showrunner Just Weeks Before Premiere

As is common with these Hollywood departures, the news arrived quietly on a Friday, but anyone keeping an eye on the Yellowstone universe could sense a slight shift in the ground. For three weeks. Before Dutton Ranch’s May 15 debut, that is all of the runway left, and Chad Feehan, the man behind it, has packed up and left. He won’t return if the show gets a second season, which seems less like a possibility and more like a certainty waiting in line, given the recent commotion surrounding anything bearing Taylor Sheridan’s name.

What draws attention is the timing. Projects are frequently abandoned by showrunners, sometimes with a press release polished within an inch of its life, and other times loudly. This one seems to be in the middle, the kind of exit that no one is quite sure how to describe. Behind-the-scenes conflict is described in reports as “messier than anyone is willing to say on the record.” Whatever happened, it happened early enough that the second season, if it happens, will belong to someone else completely and late enough that there is no time to change the marketing.

A comparison to the doomed drummers in This Is Spinal Tap has already been circulated, and Sheridan Productions has a peculiar history with their showrunners. Although it’s a sarcastic statement, there is some truth to it. His growing body of westerns has been produced by several different writers and producers, and it is now difficult to ignore the pattern. Sheridan usually works quickly, writes extensively, and uses both hands to control the creative process. The job description appears to have an expiration date built in for a showrunner hired to manage one of his properties.

For what it’s worth, Feehan had been in this orbit before. In 2023, he produced Lawmen: Bass Reeves, a one-season Paramount+ western starring David Oyelowo, Dennis Quaid, and the late Donald Sutherland. There was a mournful, subdued quality to that show. As you watched it, you could see that Feehan is the type of writer who prefers stillness over spectacle and is drawn to the genre’s worn-out, ancient corners. On paper, Dutton Ranch seemed like a perfect fit for Beth and Rip, who were just starting in South Texas.

The official logline, which discusses rival ranches, ghosts, and the cost of survival that goes beyond blood, has an almost sentimental quality. It sounds more like Sheridan’s voice than anyone else’s, which could be part of the problem. By all accounts, the cast is heavy. The matriarch of the rival ranch is Annette Bening. Ed Harris is a potential candidate. Returning as Carter are Jai Courtney, Marc Menchaca, Natalie Alyn Lind, and Finn Little. Many talented people came together for a show whose creative leadership had abruptly left.

It’s anyone’s guess what comes next. Regardless of what’s happening upstairs, the pre-existing love for Beth and Rip will propel the first season forward. Paramount+ has too much riding on this to let it falter. However, it’s difficult to avoid wondering what Feehan saw—or didn’t see—that decided to leave now rather than later. In any case, viewers will receive nine episodes. The questions that don’t end up in press releases usually linger longer than that.