Dutton Ranch is changing showrunners in season 2, and Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly are excited about the newcomer.
Just before the show's highly-anticipated premiere, the Yellowstone sequel spinoff was hit with a surprise when it was revealed that creator Chad Feehan would not return for a potential season 2 in the showrunner position, having reportedly been fired after creative clashes with Taylor Sheridan, Hauser and Reilly, among others. The show's fate was left unclear until just before Dutton Ranch season 1's penultimate episode, when Paramount+ confirmed season 2 was moving forward, and Benjamin Cavell joining as showrunner days later.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hauser and Reilly spoke for the first time about Dutton Ranch season 2 replacing Feehan as showrunner with Cavell. Hauser began by sharing that he has "a dear friend" who previously collaborated with Cavell on his hit CBS series SEAL Team, describing this friend as "somebody that I trust with my life" after having gone "to boot camp together" and spending "a lot of time in the jungle together in Louisiana."
This friend was ultimately the one who recommended Cavell to Hauser, with the latter getting "a glimpse" of the way the writer/executive producer looks at things creatively and "how his mind works." He also recalls having a "very good meeting" with Cavell during the process to replace Feehan and expressed his excitement about their early talks for Dutton Ranch season 2:
Cole Hauser: I cannot wait for this new iteration of Ben and his team of guys that he hires, along with David Glasser and the people who are involved, and to really sink our teeth into what this next show is going to be. And we’re not there yet. This is very early in the process. But I get home, and I know Kelly is champing at the bit, and we’ll get into it and have some fun.
Reilly humorously expressed that she's "quite looking forward to having a bit of time off" following the press tour for season 1 and the production start on season 2. However, the Yellowstone vet admitted that she's "percolating" on Beth's future in the series and what Cavell is going to cook up for the spinoff, while also assuring that Cristina Voros, who served as executive producer and a director of multiple episodes on season 1, will still be part of the creative team, hailing her as a "lighthouse creative":
Kelly Reilly: Everything we do goes through her brain because she’s so brilliant, and she’s going to be working with Ben. I feel like we’ve got a bit of an A-team. I think Taylor is going to be involved as far as some story ideas as well, which is great. So I feel excited about season 2, because I want it to be better. I want it to be great. I’m excited to get my hands dirty after a bit of time to digest what we’ve just done. I think time and thought are important. You have to have that. It’s not a machine. We all know that it can be, but I like that we have time to really be thoughtful and go. What could this be?
While it's unclear which friend and former co-star Hauser is referring to, his trust in their recommendation for Cavell taking over as Dutton Ranch season 2's showrunner does make sense. Across its seven-season run, with the first five on CBS then the final two on Paramount+, SEAL Team was consistently well-received by audiences, with critics also generally being positive in their responses to the action series.
Even beyond the show, Cavell has a near-spotless track record when it comes to television. He was a key part of the creative team on the Timothy Olyphant-led Justified throughout its six-season run, while he also scored an Emmy nomination for his work on Showtime's political thriller Homeland and developed the adaptation of Stephen King's The Institute, which wrapped production on season 2 in early June.
One thing that is important to note is that Hauser states Cavell's writers room for Dutton Ranch season 2 is still in the early stages, likely meaning no scripts have been sent to Reilly or Hauser, who are also executive producers on the show, yet. The turnaround time could still be swift on the writing, and therefore make way for a late 2026 filming start, though even if that proves the case, it doesn't seem likely the show will return until late 2027 at this pace.
The other most interesting takeaway from Reilly and Hauser's first comments on Dutton Ranch season 2's showrunner change is that Taylor Sheridan will seemingly have a bigger creative involvement in the writers room. Considering the frustrations Reilly, Hauser and Sheridan appeared to have with Feehan on season 1, it's understandable they'd all want to have better oversight of Cavell's actions. However, with the Yellowstone spinoff having garnered largely positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, they should hopefully learn the right lessons from how Feehan launched the show to build on the foundation.
The entirety of Dutton Ranch season 1 is now available to stream on Paramount+.
