Is there trouble on the “Dutton Ranch”? On April 23, 2026, Matthew Belloni of Puck News reported that Chad Feehan, the showrunner and creator of the “Yellowstone” spin-off “Dutton Ranch,” had been unceremoniously relieved of his duties. The kicker? The show hadn’t even premiered yet, as the debut date is set to air on May 15 on Paramount+.
But what exactly caused the quick and dirty exit? (Enter the shady side of the cast of Yellowstone.) According to Belloni, he claimed insiders said Feehan’s firing had less to do with his work on the show and more to do with him butting heads with the show’s stars Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, as well as ” … other key players, many of whom have been working on ‘Yellowstone’ for nearly a decade.” It should be noted, however, that prior to working on “Dutton Ranch,” Feehan racked up writing credits on shows like “Ray Donovan,” “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” and “Rectify.” Suffice to say, “Dutton Ranch” is not Feehan’s first rodeo. Alas, as the formidable Beth Dutton ominously declared in the series’ teaser, “A legacy is a beautiful thing, but only if it survives.”
Taylor Sheridan has developed a reputation for having a revolving door of showrunners
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time there’s been a showrunner shakeup in Taylor Sheridan’s TV empire. In June 2022, Variety exclusively reported that the “Lioness” showrunner Thomas Brady exited due to creative differences before production even had a chance to start, and was replaced by Sheridan himself. Meanwhile, “Tulsa King” showrunner Terence Winter resigned for similar reasons after only one season, per Us Weekly. Interestingly enough, Winter was promptly rehired to lead the writers room without the showrunner responsibilities before the second season started. “He loves these characters and loved working with [Sylvester Stallone] and was glad his post-strike schedule allowed him to return to write but not run the show,” a source told The Hollywood Reporter in 2024 about Winter’s new, albeit somewhat watered-down, role on the series’ second season.
In June 2023, Sheridan opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about what appears to be an ever-evolving door of showrunners on his series. According to Sheridan, his plan was to helm the pilot episodes, ” … and then we would bring in someone as a showrunner to run a writers room and I could check in and guide them.” However, he was quick to admit that idea fell apart. He added, “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.”