"Life is going to find them." 

In the new series, Beth and Rip have staked their claim on a small ranch of their own in the middle of nowhere South Texas. Executive producer Christina Alexandra Voros, who directed the premiere episodes and season finale, frames the series as a totally new direction for the couple.  

“Dutton Ranch is everything you’ve come to love about Rip and Beth, taken to a completely new world,” she says. “It’s a new frontier of this modern-day Bonnie and Clyde that we’ve come to love so much by following their saga.”

Cole Hauser says the challenge was keeping the characters true while everything around them changed. "We were very worried that they don't lose their soul," he says. "You feel the love between them — but we needed to put them in situations of uncertainty and challenge, so we have some new colors in this new world."

And according to Kelly Reilly, although they weren’t looking for trouble, that doesn’t mean they’re able to stay above the fray. “They don't want any enemies, actually. But life is going to find them," she says. 

Becoming a Family 

A quiet but resonant storyline for the series is the formalization of Beth, Rip, and Carter as a family unit. Finn Little, who originated the role of Carter in Yellowstone says the character has done a lot of growing up, and so has he.

"Starting at 14 years old, a lot has changed. Not only with myself but with the character,” Little says. “People are going to be very excited to see the kind of decisions he makes, the kind of mistakes he makes, and how he comes out of it at the end of the day."

Reilly sees it as one of the season's most emotional throughlines. "I love that they're a family now — the three of them, officially. They adopt each other and they're a soul family. Beth gets to be mama lioness a little bit this season," she says.

Rival Ranches 

Annette Bening plays Beulah, the matriarch of a rival South Texas ranching family and a woman whose need for control is both her greatest strength and her most dangerous flaw.

"She's fighting for the legacy of her ranch. She's fighting for love in her own life and really wants to connect, even though she might not seem like it," Bening says. "She's trying to control everything around her, which is kind of a recipe for disaster." 

On what happens when worlds collide, Bening adds, "I'll be interested to see what people feel when Beth and Rip come to Texas. Because they're coming to my territory, I just want to remind you of that."

Natalie Alyn Lind, who joins the series as part of Beulah's family, promises the season earns its twists.  

"It gets really fiery, it's action-packed, it's sexy and it's fun and kind of crazy," she says. "Reading the scripts, I had no idea where the storylines were going, and I think fans are going to be very shocked." 

The nine-episode first season is produced by Paramount Television Studios and 101 Studios, the studios that brough you Yellowstone. Created by executive producer and showrunner Chad Feehan and based on characters created by executive producers Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, Dutton Ranch is also executive produced by David C. Glasser, Art Linson, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin, Bob Yari, Christina Alexandra Voros, Michael Friedman, Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, and Keith Cox.  

Dutton Ranch premieres Friday, May 15 on Paramount+ and Paramount Network, with two episodes, and then weekly throughout the season.