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Dutton Ranch was renewed for a second season on Wednesday. Now seven episodes into its nine-episode first season, the news comes as little surprise after a record-breaking ratings debut.

But the Yellowstone spinoff launched with mega expectations from Paramount Television Studios and 101 Studios, who set out to continue TV’s top franchise with both Dutton Ranch and Yellowstone spinoff Marshals (airing on CBS, and also renewed for a second season). And those expectations carried over to stars Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, now executive producers on Dutton Ranch, when they spoke to The Hollywood Reporter at the beginning of the season.

“It was a serious decision, honestly, [to do Dutton Ranch],” said Reilly, while sitting alongside her co-star during a May interview. “It wasn’t one that either of us took lightly because we were so proud of [Yellowstone] and the world. They’re big shoes to fill — big boots to fill. … I didn’t think that there was anybody else better than myself to navigate Beth, other than Taylor [Sheridan]. That’s something I wanted to protect. Something that was really important to me.”

Below, during a pre-launch sitdown, the two stars of the flagship spoke about the care that went into making Dutton Ranch (the second Yellowstone spinoff not written by Sheridan) and their hopes to create a new legacy, while also teasing the season one ending and addressing the exit of showrunner Chad Feehan as they eyed a season two. “I’m not sure that [Beth and Rip] are karmically meant for peace, but that doesn’t stop them from wanting it,” says Reilly. “And that there is the drama.”

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Behind the scenes, you two didn’t have much of a break between Yellowstone ending and starting discussions on Dutton Ranch. Did you ever stop thinking about Beth and Rip?

COLE HAUSER Not really. Maybe a month for you [Kelly]? But you went on to work.

KELLY REILLY Yeah, I went on and did a show as soon as I left the last season of Yellowstone. I went to North Wales and made another TV show [Sky drama Under Salt Marsh]. Then we came back and we were straight into preproduction for this. So, yeah, it didn’t feel like such a break.

HAUSER It felt quick. Also, when you’re a part of the beginning, middle and end of a show, but certainly the beginning, we were thrown into: “How do we create this new world? How do we tell it in a different way? How do we continue to keep the consistency of the characters, but move them into a new place where there are challenges and new landscape and new people to deal with?” So it was a lot. We put on the EP [executive producer] hat, but we took on the challenge and hopefully they all enjoy it.

I spoke with you both near the end of Yellowstone, and you each said about the idea of a spinoff, “If Taylor writes it, we’ll follow.” When you found out that Beth and Rip were surviving the end of Yellowstone, were you immediately talking about continuing on?

REILLY It was a serious decision, honestly. It wasn’t one that either of us took lightly because we were so proud of that show and the world. They’re big shoes to fill — big boots to fill. Taylor’s words were everything for Beth — every line that gets quoted back to me is his. These characters are conjured from his imagination, and to take them on without his words? It’s a challenge. But we know them. We have them in our DNA a now, and in order to continue that, we had to take them into a different aspect of themselves.

For Beth, there was a corner to turn. Not only was the show literally changing locations [from Montana to Texas], but internally after the death of Beth’s father [John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner, was killed off in Yellowstone‘s final season premiere], the question for me was: “How does that change someone?” The trauma and the fight. Everything she did was about protecting that legacy. So I was interested in the inner landscape of a woman who doesn’t know who she is right now.

When you started Yellowstone, no one could have predicted its mega success. With Dutton Ranch, you came in with an IP you knew was a hit. Did you feel like you were at a place where you could ask for what you felt you were worth, and did that contribute to your elevation as EPs?

HAUSER I don’t think I’d take it like that. I put it more as a responsibility. There are many hats that you wear on set when you become an EP. It’s not just looking after me and looking after us. It’s looking after the big picture.

RELLY Yeah, the show became something that we really cared about. The cast and the crew.

HAUSER We have such amazing actors in Mark Menchaca, JR Villarreal, Ed Harris and Annette Bening. These are all people who deserve to have their voices heard, and I think Kelly and I were really aware of making sure people feel comfortable, because when they do, you get the best work out of them. That was the hat that I really wanted to put on and make sure that everybody feels [comfortable]. This is all new for us, too. We want them to come in and feel like they have a voice and a creativity that works.

REILLY That’s something I wanted to protect. Something that was really important to me. I didn’t think that there was anybody else better than myself to navigate Beth, other than Taylor. I know her so well. If you asked me any question about her, I’d have the answer. It was something that I felt really [strongly about]. I didn’t want someone just to take the easy road with her, or with Rip; to take the cliches and run with them. I wanted to elevate it and take it seriously, and try to find the truth, always.

HAUSER You were really good with bouncing stuff off of, and Christina [Alexandra Voros, director/EP].

REILLY And Taylor Sheridan is still our executive producer, so we were able to take a new beginning and run with it.

Season one was an eight-month shoot?

HAUSER Yes. When you put on the EP hat, weekends go bye-bye and you start to bleed into that Monday. And we were up for the challenge. Ultimately, we’ll see what everybody thinks.

I imagine it wasn’t easy for Taylor to let go of Beth — I know she’s one of his favorite characters to write.

REILLY I know she was one of his favorite characters that he’s ever created. I really think that Taylor used Beth as a voice for him. There’s certainly some things and ways in which she saw the world and how she handled things … there was just so much richness to her. I love playing her so much.

How hard was it to decide on the right hook to blow up Beth and Rip’s peaceful Yellowstone ending to start this series? And was the Dutton Ranch fire storyline sparked by the 2025 L.A. fires?

HAUSER There are a lot of fires over here in Montana. Each year we filmed there, there would always be a fire.

REILLY We would get shut down. The smoke as well — the whole time, we’d see the helicopters in the frame. It’s part of their life there.

HAUSER What better way to really burn it down to the ground other than a fire? What Beth grabbed in the house, the clothes on your back, how we had our horses and our son.

REILLY A photograph of my father. That’s it. That’s all they have.

They had five minutes of peacefully rocking on a porch.

HAUSER We were in the middle of filming when we went back to Montana to got to do that [premiere] scene, and both her and I needed a big breath of fresh air. We got it.

REILLY I’m not sure that these characters are karmically meant for peace, but that doesn’t stop them from wanting it. And that there is the drama.

Are you hoping or planning that this will be a multi-season show? I read five seasons somewhere.

REILLY We haven’t heard five. I think we’re taking it one season at a time.

HAUSER This has been a beast. We haven’t had any time to even think about it either. We literally filmed to the end of March and we’ve been on the road selling the show.

REILLY I think we have some ideas about season two, with where we left season one. We can’t talk about the ending, but we’re super excited about where it goes and so we already know sort of where the beginning is and that’s exciting.

If you have another Yellowstone hit on your hands, does it appeal to you to do this for many seasons?

REILLY If the writing is good. You never want to hold on too tightly in this profession, right? So honestly, we’re very grateful to be here and if we get a chance to keep making something we’re proud of, then we’re here. If not, we’re both working actors and we’ll be fine.

HAUSER It would be pretty cool, though. I always feel like if the audience continues to speak the way that they have about the show for the last 10 years or so, then I would love to continue to entertain them.

There’s a touching conversation between your characters in the beginning of Dutton Ranch about John Dutton. You came in with the Yellowstone audience, but have also courted new viewers. How do you walk that line with leaning into Yellowstone history as you go?

REILLY It’s impossible not to have that as a resource, and it’s impossible for us not to talk about what happened. And in fact, I probably would like us to talk about it a bit more in the show, but they don’t have time. Life comes at them and there’s new characters and new situations. And before we know it, we are in this new iteration. This new story. But what’s nice to me is that the audience has been with us, if they have watched it for six years, then they know everything about these characters and what their history is. And they’re meeting new characters who don’t know anything about them. I think that’s kind of fun.

HAUSER My favorite part, though, is when we stop and allow the characters to breathe a little bit, like that couch scene you’re talking about. For us, Kelly included, it’s a moment to take a breath. It’s a little reprieve for the characters to acknowledge what she’s going through. I think what’s great about the two of them is if bullets are flying or places are burning, and they somehow find a place for each other. It’s always something we talk about throughout the season: Where are those moments?

REILLY The loss of John Dutton, her father. We’ve watched how much she’s loved him. That had to be close to my skin the whole time making this.

Your showrunner Chad Feehan exited the show after season one. Reportedly that was mutual. Was that hard to go through when setting the tone, and are you open to change for season two?

HAUSER Showrunners change all the time. This business is about adapting. We’ve been doing this for a long time. Things change. People move on.

REILLY We don’t have a season two yet. We finished [season one] with Chad beautifully. We finished this season together. It was a really difficult but really satisfying show to make. And so was Yellowstone. So is anything worth making. We’re all creative minds and we all work together and I’m so proud of that. But if we get a season two, we don’t make those decisions. [Writer note: This interview took place in May before the season two renewal.]

Spencer Hudnut and Luke Grimes want a Dutton Ranch–Marshals crossover. Would that be fun to go visit the other Yellowstone spinoff?

HAUSER I would love it. Luke is one of our closest friends and like a brother to me.

REILLY Yes, I would love for Beth to meet up with Kayce [Dutton, her brother]. I would love an episode like that. That would be really special.

HAUSER I would like to see Rip and Kayce get along for a change. A little peace.

REILLY That would be nice. I think we should road trip to Montana.

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The finale of Dutton Ranch releases Friday, July 3, on Paramount+.