Dutton Ranch is changing showrunners three months into a Paramount+ top 10 run
With Season 2 looming, Taylor Sheridan’s hit neo‑western is galloping back up the streaming charts — but wait until you see where it’s landed.
If you thought Taylor Sheridan’s year in telly was already jam-packed, think again. The bloke’s running the table with multiple hits, but the one people can’t stop banging on about lately is Dutton Ranch. If you’ve been anywhere near Paramount+ in the last few months, you literally could not miss it—even if you tried. We’re talking about a show that’s managed to stick firmly in everyone’s queue, despite a serious flood of other Sheridan projects rolling out in 2026.
Dutton Ranch has featured in Paramount+'s global top 10 for more than three months straight.
Sheridan’s Streaming Domination
It’s been a bit of a Taylor Sheridan marathon, truth be told. The year kicked off with The Madison, then Marshals showed up (that’s the Yellowstone spin-off with Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton, swapping his cowboy hat for a Marshal’s badge—subtle, I know). But the real hype machine started up when Dutton Ranch finally landed in mid-2026—one of those ‘years in the making’ sort of launches.
The series properly took off from day one. Premiering in May, Dutton Ranch was straight in at number one on Paramount+’s global charts. The first run was just nine episodes, wrapping up 3 July, but it’s managed to stay glued in the streamer’s top 10 worldwide for over three months. At the moment, it’s the sixth most popular series on the platform. Not bad, considering Sheridan managed to drop yet another blockbuster, Lioness, soon after (that one’s currently top of the tree, for those keeping score).
Add to that, Yellowstone itself is apparently enjoying a kind of posthumous second wind—a full year after riding off into the sunset, it’s currently sitting at number four globally. Who says you can’t teach an old horse new tricks?
Major Changes Behind the Scenes
Given all this, it’s honestly no shock Paramount+ snapped up Dutton Ranch for a second season. But, here’s where it gets interesting. Although Sheridan’s still got his fingerprints on everything—creator, writer, executive producer, you name it—season one was actually under the watch of Chad Feehan as showrunner. That’s not the case anymore. Feehan wrapped up with the series after the first season and has been replaced by Benjamin Cavell. Now, who knows how long Cavell’s planning to stick around? Could be a cushy, long-haul job; could be another shake-up in a couple of years if the Sheridan camp gets itchy feet again.
Why Everyone’s Watching
It isn’t just the streaming numbers that have people talking. Dutton Ranch has pulled in some seriously strong reviews. It’d be easy to put it down to the return of Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser—back as Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, respectively—but honestly, the show’s actually improved on the usual neo-western formula. This time, Beth and Rip have flogged the original ranch (cheerio, Montana) and set up shop in Texas, steering their own business. Naturally, the drama’s followed them, except their new neighbours in Texas are, if anything, even more trouble than the Montana crowd ever were.
Critically, the show’s sitting on a not-too-shabby 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, with users rating it at 85%—so, rare case of critics and viewers actually agreeing for once.
- Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton
- Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler
- Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton (appearing via crossover with Marshals)
- Series created by Taylor Sheridan
- Season 1 showrunner: Chad Feehan (departed after S1)
- New showrunner for Season 2: Benjamin Cavell
- First season ran nine episodes, from May to 3 July 2026