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Dutton Ranch Replaces Showrunner After Cast Complaints

Paramount+ tapped Benjamin Cavell to lead Season 2 and has scheduled production for early 2027 to address reported cast concerns.

Overview

  • Paramount+ renewed Dutton Ranch for a second season and set production to begin in early 2027, signaling the streamer’s commitment despite public tensions during Season 1.
  • Creator and Season 1 showrunner Chad Feehan left the series after the first run and Benjamin Cavell was hired to run Season 2.
  • Ed Harris publicly said he felt underused and “misled” during Season 1 and remains under contract for two seasons even as reports say he was kept in the loop about the showrunner change.
  • Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly, both executive producers and lead actors, said production was challenging because Taylor Sheridan did not write for Dutton Ranch and only a few Yellowstone alumni worked on set daily.
  • The shifts mark a move away from Sheridan’s previous single‑writer model for the Yellowstone universe and could affect how future seasons balance franchise continuity with new writers and directors.