One Dutton Ranch star is not happy with their role, at least in season 1.
Taylor Sheridan’s quasi-Yellowstone season 6 has been a major hit, posting the biggest opening viewership for Paramount+. Because of that, it wasn’t surprising when Dutton Ranch was renewed for season 2, confirming that Beth and Rip’s story in Rio Paloma, Texas is continuing. While the couple ties the show to the events of Yellowstone, moving outside of Montana meant that a whole new world has to be built around them, hence the introduction of several new faces to the franchise.
Like the Duttons, the Johnsons, Texas’ answer to John III’s clan, have a long history in the state. Spearheaded by Annette Bening’s Beulah, she was initially perceived as the show’s primary villain, considering her original antagonistic dynamic with Beth. As her family was established in the project, it became clear that she wasn’t the main bad guy of the story. Beyond the main families, Dutton Ranch also debuted several freestanding characters, led by Ed Harris’s Everett McKinney.
Unfortunately, Harris didn’t particularly enjoy his time working in Dutton Ranch, telling Variety that he felt like he was misled about the importance of his character. The actor shared that when he was pitched the show, his role was supposed to be “relatively important to the story,” but “it didn’t feel that way” during filming. At one point, he even wanted to break his contract and leave the show.
“Prior to signing on for it, I was talked to quite a bit about what the season was, and what my character was going to do — and that I was one of the four main characters. And that wasn’t really the case.”
“I said, ‘I’m feeling underused and inconsequential,’ and they kind of went, ‘Oh.” I’m being told my character will have a little bit more to do [in Season 2]. I was just a little frustrated, to tell you the truth.”
“So there’s this scene in there … I’m talking to [Beth Dutton] at the bar, and [Rip Wheeler] comes in and says, ‘OK, Everett, come on, it’s your turn.’ I walk up to the mic, and they cut it. They cut the song out. I’m going, ‘Fuck you, people.’”
Harris is contracted until Dutton Ranch season 2, allowing the project to make up for his less than ideal experience during the show’s opening salvo. The outlet requested a comment from Sheridan and 101 Studios, but they have yet to answer. It’s worth noting that ahead of Dutton Ranch‘s debut, series creator and showrunner Chad Feehan was fired from the project reportedly due to having internal conflicts with the show’s lead stars and other producers. Now, it’s curious if Harris’s experience had something to do with it.
For what it’s worth, Everett was vital to the story of Dutton Ranch season 1. Without him, Beulah’s character wouldn’t have been empathetic. His bond with Beth was also heartwarming, especially in light of the unexpected death of John III in Yellowstone. Arguably, Harris’s character was the heart of Dutton Ranch thus far, and it’s saddening to learn that he didn’t feel that while filming the show. Luckily, Sheridan’s Paramount+’s series has time to compensate for that when the series returns.
When Dutton Ranch season 2 premieres is currently uncertain. Unlike Marshals season 2, which is confirmed for CBS’s fall 2026 lineup, it will be up to Paramount+ when the public will see Beth, Rip, Beulah, and Everett back on the small screen. Hopefully, by then, Harris’s experience working on the show would have already been fixed.
Dutton Ranch
- Release Date
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May 15, 2026
- Network
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Paramount Network, Paramount+
- Showrunner
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Chad Feehan
- Directors
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Christina Alexandra Voros