Paramount’s renewal of Dutton Ranch for a second season has ignited a clear and unified message from viewers: give Beth and Rip their show back.
On June 24, Paramount confirmed that Dutton Ranch — the Yellowstone spin-off created by Taylor Sheridan — will return for another season on Paramount+. The series launched on May 15 and immediately set records, drawing 12.9 million viewers within its first seven days and breaking the platform’s all-time record for a series premiere. The renewal announcement was expected given those numbers, but the fan response that followed carried an unmistakable edge.
Fans Want Beth and Rip Front and Center
Viewers flooded the show’s Instagram announcement with a consistent complaint: Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, who reprise their Yellowstone roles as Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, feel more like supporting players than leads in their own series. Comment after comment pushed the same demand heading into Season 2.
“Please center season 2 more on Beth and Rip instead of making them a subplot in their own show,” one fan wrote. Another put it plainly: “Beth and Rip are like supporting characters. They should be in the lead roles.” Others called for more romance and on-screen chemistry between the pair, with one commenter asking directly whether the two would have “more meaningful scenes in S2 or will they still just ride horses for a couple of minutes and turn everything else over to Beulah and the granddaughter.”
The tension stems from Dutton Ranch‘s expansive new cast. Alongside Reilly, Hauser, and Finn Little — who returns as Carter — the show introduced Annette Bening as Beulah, Natalie Alyn-Lind as Oreana, Jai Courtney as Rob-Will, Juan Pablo Raba as Joaquin, J.R. Villarreal as Azul, and Ed Harris as Everett. That depth of new characters has clearly divided screen time in ways some longtime fans find frustrating.
What’s Still to Come in Season 1
A premiere date for Season 2 has not yet been announced. In the meantime, the first season still has two episodes remaining — Episode 8 arrives June 26, with the season finale dropping July 3. Episode 7 ended on a significant revelation involving Beulah’s past, setting up what figures to be a high-stakes conclusion to the debut run.
Whether the show’s producers respond to the fan chorus about Beth and Rip’s screen time remains to be seen, but with record-breaking viewership already secured, the stakes for Season 2 are firmly established.
