“Yellowstone” fans are eagerly awaiting the premiere of the series’ next spinoff, following two of its most iconic characters.
Paramount released the teaser trailer for “Dutton Ranch,” the fourth spinoff series in the “Yellowstone” franchise. The nine-episode season will follow Paradise Valley’s favorite couple, Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, as they make new friends and enemies in Texas.
Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser will be reprising the roles they’ve played since the very first episode of “Yellowstone” premiered on June 20, 2018. Other big-name actors confirmed for the new series include Annette Bening, Ed Harris, and Jai Courtney.
While the setting of “Dutton Ranch” might be different, the stakes seem higher than ever. That’s exactly what “Yellowstone” fans expect, especially from Beth and Rip.
“As Beth and Rip fight to build a future together — far from the ghosts of Yellowstone — they collide with brutal new realities and a ruthless rival ranch that will stop at nothing to protect its empire,” reads the show’s official logline. “In South Texas, blood runs deeper, forgiveness is fleeting, and the cost of survival might just be your soul.”
Whether it’s in Montana or Texas, Wyoming fans just hope the latest “Yellowstone” spinoff will be true to itself. At its core, it’s a story about family and trying to make an “honest” living in the West, even if that requires matches, gasoline, and the occasional death.
Previously On "Yellowstone"
Gillette resident Starla Paschall has been watching “Yellowstone” since the very first episode. She’s excited that the new series not only has Beth and Rip returning, but as the main characters.
“My husband and I really enjoy both of the characters,” she said. “The last episode (of Yellowstone) made it sound like they were going to buy another ranch, but it left everything wide open between the two of them.”
In the series finale of “Yellowstone,” Kayce Dutton sold the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch to Thomas Rainwater, high chief of the Confederated Tribes of Broken Rock. Now that they’re no longer serving the family ranch and its patriarch, John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner, Beth and Rip decided to go their own way.
“It was Beth's idea, of course, to buy a ranch,” Paschall said. “Rip seemed a little bit skeptical about the whole thing, but that's pretty much where they left off, and I think that's where they're going to pick up. From the trailer, it looks like they're walking into another major storm.”
The teaser trailer has everything “Yellowstone” fans could want. It starts with an ominous shot of a half-buried human corpse, followed by several glimpses of explosions, gunplay, and hand-to-hand combat.
“Legacy is a beautiful thing,” Beth says. “But only if it survives.”
Mystery And Insanity
In Paschall’s opinion, “Dutton Ranch” follows the two most interesting characters from the original “Yellowstone” series. Rip Wheeler, in particular, has become a fan favorite.
“He’s a mysterious guy whose beginnings were terribly confusing for most people,” she said. “He came from an abusive situation, and (John Dutton) took him in and adopted him, and he's been kind of a mystery ever since.”
It’s been a breakout role for Cole Hauser, who served as the Grand Marshal of the Cody Stampede Parade in July 2022. Paschall fully understands his appeal.
“He does a really good job,” she said. “He rides a horse well, he's just dynamic, and plus, he's pretty hot.”
Beth Dutton, meanwhile, stood out for her intelligence, belligerence, and being a “master manipulator.” She had no qualms about adding extra drama to the dramatic series with her amoral decisions.
Paschall doesn’t see Beth Dutton as someone to admire, necessarily, but she finds the character’s assertive nature appealing.
“She’s tough, rough around the edges, and a little bit terrifying, but she also has a vulnerable side,” she said. “I think that every woman can relate to her in that we wish we were that crazy, sometimes.”
Beth and Rip had gotten married by the end of “Yellowstone.” Together, they seem poised to take over as Texas’s toxic power couple, which guarantees plenty of violence, subterfuge, and intrigue in “Dutton Ranch.”
Spinoff Upon Spinoff
“Dutton Ranch” is the fourth “Yellowstone” spinoff series, adding to the expansive universe of the fictional Dutton Family.
The shows “1883” and “1923” followed the trials and tribulations of the Dutton Family’s ancestors as they established the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. The most recent spinoff, “Marshals,” which has been renewed for a second season, followed Kacey Dutton's adventures as a U.S. Marshal battling rogues and miscreants in Montana, even though all filming was done in Utah.
Meanwhile, series creator Taylor Sheridan released the first season of "The Madison," a Montana-based series starring Kurt Russell and Michelle Pfeiffer, on March 14. It follows a New York family as they try to find emotional closure and recovery in the West, but it’s not connected to the “Yellowstone” franchise.
“Yellowstone” and its spinoffs have avoided Wyoming, so far, but that doesn’t bother longtime fans like Paschall. For her, the series is at its best when it stays true to its characters and the show’s core audience.
“I hope that they keep (“Dutton Ranch”) in a ranching mentality,” she said. “Anyone who was born and raised in Wyoming has a little bit of agriculture in their background, whether they realize it or not. I hope that they can maintain some sort of honest ranching point of view.”
Paschall hopes the new show doesn't get “too woke” and avoids overtly political content. There’s plenty of political intrigue in the “Yellowstone” franchise, but its melodramatic tone keeps it safely distanced from real-world politics.
With Rip and Beth at the helm, Paschall isn’t worried that “Dutton Ranch” will adopt a woke mindset for the woke. It’s not really in line with their characters.
“Rip is kind of the ultimate masculinity, and Beth is very business-like when she’s not crazy,” she said. “I can't see that it would go toward anything like that.”
"This Ain't Checkers, Son"
With mysterious and complex characters, a new ranch with new drama, and the tone established by the original series, Paschall will definitely tune in for the first episode of “Dutton Ranch.” She’s eager to see Beth and Rip navigate their new, down-to-earth lives as Texas ranchers, and all the explosions and bullets that go with it.
“Of course,” she said. “It is entertainment, after all.”
The first episode of “Dutton Ranch” premieres at 6 p.m. MST on the Paramount Network and Paramount Plus on May 15.
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
