Dutton Ranch Review: Hauser and Reilly Return the Sheridanverse in All Its Neo-Western Cowboy Noir Glory

Paramount+’s Dutton Ranch is the latest Yellowstone spinoff, as creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan continues to add notches to the ever-growing and profitable notch on his financial bedpost he calls a resume. Yet, there is nothing the writer, director, and actor doesn’t touch that doesn’t turn to bright signature yellow gold.

That’s why Dutton Ranch is a relief, as the incredible cast and veteran players lead a show that has the tone and style down in all its neo-Western cowboy noir glory. His latest combines modern trappings that made his shows so popular with old-fashioned star power, brimming with magnetism, near-mythic characters, and primal stakes.

To put it boldly, there is simply nothing like it on television, on any network or streaming service, and it remains unmatched. Pulpy, brooding, and operatic, the latest crime saga in chaps is saddle-worn, volatile, and wildly entertaining, with plenty of dust on its boots and blood on its hands.

What is Parmount+’s Dutton Ranch About?

The last time we saw Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly), she was fulfilling a promise she made to one of her siblings. Now, with her father’s land sold to the Broken Rock Reservation, she has purchased a small ranch in Dillon, Montana, starting a new life with Rip (Cole Hauser) and Carter (Those Who Wish Me Dead’s Finn Little), the troubled, orphaned boy they took in after his father passed away.

However, when a wildfire destroys their land, they migrate to South Texas, purchasing a famed ranch and stamping the Dutton name across it. No, Beth and Rip are not in Yellowstone anymore. Of course, things are different in Cattle Country, where Beth cannot push people around, including rival ranch owner Beulah Jackson (Academy Award nominee Annette Bening, phenomenal here).

Beulah has the gall to tell Beth they will take a percentage of the slaughter profits until the Duttons can build up to 150 steers per order. Jackson is a widow whose children play a pivotal role in her legacy. Her eldest son, Joaquin (Juan Pablo Raba), tries to convince her to put Rob-Will (The Suicide Squad’s Jai Courtney, doing Jai Courtney things) in rehab after he “retires” their foreman on his own.

Paramount+’s Dutton Ranch Review

Blood runs deep in Rio Paloma, but not as much as money. Caught in the middle is Everett McKinney (Ed Harris), a local veterinarian who keeps a watchful eye on the comings and goings of this mighty bordertown. Soon, words are said, guns drawn, and punches thrown, proving that once again this show is more than a brawny, salt-of-the-earth The Sopranos with funny hats.

Based on the characters created by Sheridan and John Linson, Dutton Ranch was developed by Chad Feehan, who previously ran the Sheridanverse entry Lawmen: Bass Reeves. However, Feehan was fired after production on the first season wrapped, proving that there is just as much behind-the-scenes work at Bosque Ranch Productions as there is on screen.

The cast is excellent here, full of brooding intensity, the closest the Sheridanverse has ever come to capturing the original’s tone. However, this is one of the few Sheridan series for which he did not pen a single episode, along with the above-led streaming series vehicle by David Oyelowo and the other Dutton family Network spinoff, Marshals, starring Luke Grimes.

Is Paramount+’s Dutton Ranch Worth Watching?

Everyone can look down their noses at shows like these. Even in this week’s episode of The Boys, there was a quip that “Taylor Sheridan AI-wrote the thing and it does not take notes.” However, the series has what most classic great shows possess: a family crime saga, themes of how power corrupts, and violence that is sudden and always personal.

What makes Sheridan different is that he often casts the matriarch as the queen rather than the king under siege. Reilly is incredible here, using weaponized rage and trauma-infused behavior to create someone who is deeply self-destructive and just as much a destroyer as she is a protector, using fear and intelligence. This spinoff is Reilly’s show, a mesmerizing performance.

Dutton Ranch is worth watching and is easily accessible to viewers who have not seen the original Yellowstone. The production is flawless, bringing cinematic quality television to your small screen. Harris brings his usual weathered authority and quiet intensity, while Hauser continues to cultivate one of the great antiheroes, sustaining the propulsive, feverishly addictive storytelling at its finest.

You can stream the two-episode Dutton Ranch season premiere exclusively on Paramount+ starting May 15th! The first episodes of the series were screened for critics.

Dutton Ranch Review: Hauser and Reilly Return the Sheridanverse in All Its Neo-Western Cowboy Noir Glory