From the moment Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) looks over the Montana landscape to sigh, “Did you ever imagine we could have this? This quiet?” to her equally contented husband, we know their peace cannot be long for this earth. There would be no show if it were. And lo and behold: We’re not even at the opening credits before a fire blazes in to destroy the couple’s hard-won serenity, forcing them to start fresh.
Well — kind of fresh. As major characters from Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount Network hit Yellowstone, Beth, her husband Rip (Cole Hauser) and their ward Carter (Finn Little) cannot help but bring several seasons’ worth of baggage with them to their new cattle ranch in Texas. But the change in scenery proves just enough to allow the latest of this franchise’s many spinoffs, Paramount+’s Dutton Ranch, to open itself up to newcomers in the four (of nine) hours sent to critics, while still dishing out familiar soap operatics.
Dutton Ranch
The Bottom Line
Palatable, if not yet cravable.
