After Chad Feehan stepped down as showrunner in June, Benjamin Cavell is taking over for Season 2 of Dutton Ranch. Cast members Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly previously addressed the shakeup, while executive producer Christina Voros credited Feehan’s work and o
For anyone settling into the rhythm of Dutton Ranch, the change comes fast: Season 2 will be shaped by a new showrunner after the initial leader exited the Paramount+ Yellowstone spinoff.
Benjamin Cavell is set to take over, with The Hollywood Reporter confirming the move on Tuesday, June 30. Cavell is stepping in after Chad Feehan stepped down in June. Us Weekly had also confirmed at the time that Feehan would not return as showrunner after completing work on season 1.
Before Cavell arrives. the circumstances around Feehan’s exit have already been a point of friction among the show’s inner circle. Puck News previously reported that Feehan stepped away after alleged friction with series stars Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly. who play Rip Wheeler and Beth Dutton. respectively. among others.
Feehan is not the only person who has spoken about the shakeup. though the tone from the cast has been steady rather than combative. Earlier this month. Hauser told The Hollywood Reporter. “Showrunners change all the time.” He added. “This business is about adapting.” He continued: “We’ve been doing this for a long time. Things change. People move on.”.
Reilly, 48, offered a similar outlook on the change. “It was a really difficult but really satisfying show to make,” she said. “And so was Yellowstone.” She then pushed the conversation toward the work ahead: “So is anything worth making.” Reilly concluded. “We’re all creative minds and we all work together and I’m so proud of that.”.
Christina Voros, an executive producer, later addressed the reported situation around Feehan’s departure. In May, she told ScreenRant that Feehan did “an exceptional job building a world of adversaries for Rip and Beth” in the Yellowstone spinoff.
When it came to the “dynamics behind his departure. ” Voros said she “didn’t have much to add.” She also explained that. at that point. Dutton Ranch had not “come out into the world yet. ” making a future without Feehan “beyond” her knowledge. Still, she expressed gratitude to Feehan and his team for “creating a world for these characters to move into.”.
The bigger franchise context is already familiar to viewers of Taylor Sheridan’s universe. Dutton Ranch isn’t the only Sheridan show to go through showrunner changes; Lioness, Tulsa King and Frisco King have also experienced shifts. And not every show had a season to season showrunner replacement.
Sheridan himself has previously weighed in on how writers’ rooms fit—or don’t fit—his process. In 2023. he acknowledged his preference for not using writers’ rooms. telling The Hollywood Reporter. “But when you hire a room that may not be motivated by those same qualities — and a writer always wants to take ownership of something they’re writing — and I give this directive and they’re not feeling it. then they’re going to come up with their own qualities. So for me, writers rooms, they haven’t worked.”.
The outlet reported that Sheridan wrote in a one-room “cabinet” he built in Wyoming, saying, “I’ve written many episodes in eight to 10 hours.”
For now, Dutton Ranch’s schedule remains clear. The series airs on Paramount+ Fridays, and Season 2 will arrive with Cavell steering the next chapter—right as questions around Feehan’s departure linger behind the credits.
Dutton Ranch Yellowstone spinoff Benjamin Cavell Chad Feehan Cole Hauser Kelly Reilly Christina Voros Paramount+ showrunner change Season 2