Cole Hauser feels good about the new Dutton Ranch showrunner that came aboard for Season 2.
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… and there was apparently some tension between the stars of the show and the showrunner.
Fans weren’t the only ones that recognized that something was up. Hauser, who plays the incomparable Rip Wheeler in the spinoff, told Film Inside NYC that not having their leader in Taylor Sheridan 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.”
Then when you throw the issues with showrunner Chad Feehan on top of that, Dutton Ranch felt like it was just trying to tread water at times.
One source told Puck that Feehan had clashes with the stars and executive producers of the show – Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly. And that outlet also floated that Sheridan may or may not have been happy with how Season 1 of the series turned out (I don’t know if that concern was really necessary… but Sheridan is a perfectionist).
We also learned recently that comments and complaints from Ed Harris, who plays Everett McKinney in the series, may have very well led to the end of Chad Feehan acting as Dutton Ranch’s showrunner. He really lit into how his character was handled in the inaugural season of the spinoff, and that (among other things) almost certainly led to Feehan exiting the series.
The showrunner that stepped forward in place of Feehan is Benjamin Cavell, who is known for his work on Justified and Homeland, and also previously created SEAL Team and The Stand for Paramount+. It makes sense that the network and streaming service went with a familiar face for the job, and though his track record speaks for itself, he’ll have his work cut out for him taking the reigns of the show that many view as the direct continuation of the flagship series.
But according to Hauser, Cavell has been the perfect choice to take Dutton Ranch into the future. He told PEOPLE that the new showrunner is “very special,” and he calls the transition from Feehan to Cavell a step in the right direction:
“We have a wonderful new showrunner, Benjamin Cavell, and I’ve been talking to him. He’s a very special guy, and I think the future is bright—not only for myself, but for Beth and Carter and the show in general. I think this is going to be a really nice next step.”
Sounds like Dutton Ranch made the right choice… and it also feels like things had gotten really bad with Feehan leading the way.
Speaking of bad, Hauser also told PEOPLE that he and everyone else in the cast and crew desperately needed a break after shooting Season 1. Was the on-set tension that brutal? Well, it probably didn’t help, but it was more so about battling the weather for much of first season, and feeling like they needed some time off afterwards:
“We went through a lot of weather issues with the heat, then the freezing cold, and there were ice storms. It was just nuts. I think everybody at the very end of Episode 9 was ready to take a breather, go home, rest up and get ready for this next year.
All in all, I think the whole season was tough, but it was very rewarding in the end. The audience loved it. The critics loved it. I can’t wait to continue to make ‘Dutton Ranch’ as good as it can be.”
And fans can’t wait to watch the Yellowstone spinoff continue.
Season 1 Recap:
