Cole Hauser is man enough to admit that not having Taylor Sheridan there to help with Season 1 of Dutton Ranch ended up being more of a challenge than they might have imagined.
The Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler-focused series has already aired the entirety of its first season, and while most fans see it as the closest thing to the continuation of Yellowstone, there were some viewers out there that could tell something was different. It makes sense that it felt that way, because Sheridan didn’t have a part in writing the inaugural season of the spinoff.
Fans weren’t the only ones that recognized the absence of Sheridan. Hauser, who plays the incomparable Rip Wheeler in the spinoff, told Film Inside NYC that not having their leader created significant challenges:
“There were challenges, you know? Not having Taylor there, for us to really kind of be able to work with these new writers, these new directors, these people… everything had changed.
The only normality that we had whatsoever was Carter (played by Finn Little), (director) Christina Alexandra Voros, Kelly and myself.”
You can tell by that quote that continuing the story without Sheridan proved to be more difficult than they initially thought.
That being said, Hauser and Reilly – the stars and executive producers of the show – became acclimated to the challenge, and now, the actor behind Rip Wheeler looks forward to doing it all again for Season 2:
“I enjoy a challenge, it certainly was a challenge. We worked our a**es off this year… And I don’t think a lot of the outside noise or the thought of, like, ‘What’s the weight of the show?’ was really apparent to me at the time.
It was about putting my head down and working my a– off with… what I had around me. The writers that we had, the new writers that we had, that we had to figure out on our feet how to really perform and tell a story. So, I’m proud of what we accomplished, and I look forward to doing it again.”
The good news? When they do it again, they’ll likely have Taylor Sheridan sitting right there with them.
According to Kelly Reilly, who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, Sheridan is going to do everything he can to have a more active role in the storytelling for Dutton Ranch‘s second season:
“I think Taylor is going to be involved as far as some story ideas as well, which is great. I feel excited about season two because I want it to be better. I want it to be great. I’m excited to get my hands dirty after a bit of time to digest what we’ve just done.”
I have no idea how Taylor Sheridan will have the time to help with Dutton Ranch, but if he is returning to the writer’s room (and it sounds like he is), that’s great news for fans. If you loved the first season of the spinoff, then you’ll be sure to love it that much more with Sheridan back in the fold.
