Dutton Ranch Is Officially Switching Main Characters In Season 2

Taylor Sheridan’s Dutton Ranch is officially leaving Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) behind in favor of a new main character for season 2. Dutton Ranch has, so far, essentially been Beth and Rip’s Yellowstone sequel series. They’re the show’s connection to Yellowstone, the entire first season was about their move to Texas and conflict with the 10 Petals, and they’re really the main draw of Dutton Ranch as a whole.

Even the cliffhanger ending of Dutton Ranch season 1 revolved around Beth and Rip, as their adoptive son, Carter, was abducted by Mariano. As important as Beth and Rip have been to the show, however, Dutton Ranch season 2 is officially demoting them to supporting characters. Instead, an existing side character is getting promoted, and the show’s focus is going to change from being all about Beth and Rip to being about Rio Paloma as a whole.

The change in Dutton Ranch‘s main character also comes at a time when the show has revealed several other major behind-the-scenes changes. Dutton Ranch has a new showrunner, for example, and Taylor Sheridan, who previously worked only as a producer, is taking a more hands-on writing role in season 2. Dutton Ranch season 2 was already preparing for some major creative changes, but this new main character could make it feel like an entirely different show.

Kelly Reilly Said Ed Harris’ Everett McKinney Will Be Dutton Ranch Season 2’s Main Character

In a recent interview, Kelly Reilly said that Ed Harris’ Dutton Ranch character, veterinarian Everett McKinney, would be replacing Beth and Rip as the main character of the show in season 2. Cole Hauser also noted that Dutton Ranch season 1 used Harris “sparingly” and that he was excited to work with him more, saying “We’re going to make sure that he is a big part of helping us move forward in whatever capacity.”

I think Season 2 is going to feel very much more like Ed [Harris]’s show. This is not the Beth and Rip show. This is Dutton Ranch, and there are four lead characters, five.

At the end of Dutton Ranch season 1, Everett learned that his romantic interest, Beulah Jackson (Annette Bening), was involved in drug smuggling and broke off their budding relationship before joining Beth and Rip in defending their own ranch. Based on Reilly and Hauser’s comments, it seems Everett will continue working with Beth and Rip in season 2 and may take an even more active role in fighting Mariano and the cartel, possibly even putting his combat experience from Vietnam to use.

It’s also worth noting that Everett won’t be replacing Beth and Rip entirely in Dutton Ranch season 2. It seems Reilly was alluding to the idea that Dutton Ranch season 2 would lean further into a multi-protagonist series, where Beth and Rip’s story is just one of several ongoing plots, not unlike Taylor Sheridan’s other show, Landman. Even as Everett gets more screen time and presumably a more in-depth exploration of his character, Beth and Rip will still be there. The only difference is that not everything is going to revolve around them anymore.

Dutton Ranch Season 2 Could Be The Start Of A New Era For Yellowstone

Kelly Reilly’s tease that Ed Harris will become a more main character in Dutton Ranch season 2 could also be a clue that the show is about to enter a new era. Dutton Ranch season 1, while it was a hit with viewers and critics, was lacking some of the appeal of Yellowstone. Having a larger story with more main protagonists like Everett could be exactly what Dutton Ranch needs to become a true successor to Yellowstone.

After all, Yellowstone didn’t really have one central protagonist. While John Dutton was the head of the family, Beth, Kayce, Jamie, Chief Rainwater, and even Rip and the ranch hands were all the main characters of their own connected but distinct storylines. Yellowstone was a sprawling epic of a show that couldn’t be constrained by a single main character, even one as magnetic as John Dutton III. Dutton Ranch didn’t have that sprawling quality in season 1, but it could gain that quality by focusing on more characters in season 2.

Ed Harris becoming the “star” of Dutton Ranch season 2 could actually be fantastic news for the show. By focusing more on Everett and other characters like Azul and Zachariah, Dutton Ranch season 2 could be bigger and better than ever before. While fans of Beth and Rip won’t get as much of the characters as they did in season 1, it’s probably a good thing that Dutton Ranch is getting bigger than two lead characters can handle.