With Cole Hauser’s Rip Wheeler now the head of the 10-Petal ranch operation in Yellowstone spin-off Dutton Ranch, his old position, as enforcer and ranch foreman, has now been reassigned.
Surprisingly, Rip is actually being replaced by two figures, with JR Villarreal’s Azul and Hart Denton’s Chet being positioned as two separate versions of what Rip once represented.
Azul will be taking on more traditional ranch-hand duties, while Chet will be more closely filling the enforcer role, not afraid to cross lines and embrace the darker side of ranch life.
Azul will be managing the Dutton Ranch alongside Marc Menchaca’s Zachariah, someone with a hardened past and experience operating in morally murky situations.
The series has seen Rip, along with Kelly Reilly’s Beth Dutton, fighting to build a future together and colliding with brutal new realities, as well as a ruthless rival ranch that will stop at nothing to protect its empire.
The central cast also includes Ed Harris, Annette Bening, Finn Little, Juan Pablo Raba, Jai Courtney, JR Villarreal, Marc Menchaca and Natalie Alyn Lind.
When the series debuted, it became the biggest original series launch in Paramount+ history, amassing 12.9m views globally in the 7 days since its premiere.
Paramount has also reported that it was the number one streaming series according to Nielsen, based on average audience for the week of 11 May, according to preliminary data.
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It is one of two ongoing Yellowstone spin-offs, with Marshals, which follows Luke Grimes’s Kayce Dutton, currently in production on its second season.
Dutton Ranch airs on Paramount+ on Fridays.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
