Critics Give Paramount+'s 9-Episode Dutton Ranch a Mixed Early Verdict Before May 15 Debut
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · May 14
Critics Give Paramount+'s 9-Episode Dutton Ranch a Mixed Early Verdict Before May 15 Debut
11 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · May 14
Four of nine episodes screened for critics suggest Dutton Ranch can welcome newcomers while keeping Yellowstone-style melodrama, following Beth, Rip and Carter as a fire upends their fresh start on a Texas ranch.
Kelly Reilly draws the strongest praise as Beth, with Ed Harris adding gravitas as a veterinarian and Annette Bening supplying star power, while Cole Hauser's Rip is described as comparatively forgettable.
The early episodes center on a rivalry with the corporate 10 Petal Ranch and Beulah Jackson, plus family conflict between her sons, giving the series a "Succession-lite" edge.
Reviewers say the spinoff benefits from restrained Sheridanverse speeches and vivid ranch visuals, but uneven plotting, repeated beats and a weak Carter subplot leave it still sowing rather than reaping ahead of Friday's Paramount+ launch.
With its showrunner already gone, can this Yellowstone sequel survive its own backstage drama?
Is 'Dutton Ranch' a fresh start or just more 'Yellowstone' with a Texas zip code?
Will Beth Dutton conquer Texas, or will a new matriarch finally be her match?