Dutton Ranch Creator’s Firing By Taylor Sheridan Gets First Official Response From Producer

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As a big fan of the Yellowstone universe, I was really surprised to hear about the drama with the new spinoff! It sounds like things got heated when Taylor Sheridan let go of someone from the Dutton Ranch team, and now a producer is finally speaking out about what happened.

The new series, a follow-up to the planned Marshals spinoff set in 2026, features Chad Feehan, a producer from Lawmen: Bass Reeves. It centers on Beth and Rip (played by Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser) as they try to build a life after John Dutton’s death and family drama. However, conflict arises with a competing ranch in South Texas. Just weeks before the show is set to launch, it was announced that Feehan had been removed from the project, and a replacement showrunner will be sought if the series is renewed.

In a recent interview with Liam Crowley of ScreenRant, Christina Voros discussed the reported firing of Forrie J. Feehan from Dutton Ranch. Voros, who is an executive producer and director on the new series and often works with Taylor Sheridan, first complimented Feehan, saying he did “an exceptional job creating the enemies of Rip and Beth” in the new show.

She didn’t offer much detail about why he left, explaining that the show is still in development and she doesn’t know what the future holds without him. For now, she’s simply thankful to him and his team for building the show’s world and characters.

Reports surfaced in late April that Taylor Sheridan removed Taylor Feehan as showrunner of the Dutton Ranch spinoff after frequent disagreements with cast members Kelly Reilly and Kevin Costner, as well as David Glasser from 101 Studios, though specific issues weren’t publicly shared. Despite being replaced as showrunner, Feehan remained credited as the creator of the series when it was released.

With the show about to premiere, it’s not surprising Voros is being careful about talking about the firing of the creator of Dutton Ranch. Although she previously led the show as showrunner and is important to the season’s story, there are many other writers and a famous cast – including Oscar nominees Ed Harris and Annette Bening – that she probably wants to focus on promoting.

This isn’t the first time a project connected to Taylor Sheridan has faced creative shifts. His series Tulsa King, starring Sylvester Stallone, has had a different showrunner each of its four seasons. It began with Terence Winter, known for The Sopranos, then Craig Zisk took over for season two, followed by Dave Erickson from Mayor of Kingstown. Erickson was originally set to lead a spinoff starring Samuel L. Jackson, called NOLA King, but scheduling conflicts led to a complete change in direction. The spinoff is now titled Frisco King, with Sheridan writing all eight episodes himself.

As a big fan of the Yellowstone universe, I’m feeling pretty confident about Dutton Ranch getting a second season on Paramount+. Even though there was some drama and a change in showrunners, the franchise as a whole has been huge for the past eight years. Marshals just premiered in March and broke records, despite not being a critical darling. And honestly, the buzz around Beth and Rip coming back is way bigger than anything we’ve seen with the other spin-offs, so I have a strong feeling this new show will pull in a lot of viewers too.

If Dutton Ranch gets a second season, the big question is who will lead the show creatively. Taylor Sheridan is already working on several projects, including a Call of Duty movie, and his schedule is packed until he moves from Paramount to NBCUniversal in 2028. Several writers contributed multiple episodes to the first season of the Yellowstone spinoff – like Jacob Forman, J. Todd Scott, and Hilary Scott – so it’s likely one of them will be chosen as showrunner if the show is renewed.

The first two episodes of Dutton Ranch will be available on Paramount+ starting May 15th, with new episodes released every Friday after that.

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2026-05-12 23:48