Showrunner Chad Feehan Leaves ‘Dutton Ranch’ Before May 15 Premiere: What It Means for the New Spinoff

It seems that the upcoming series Dutton Ranch is in need of a new ranch foreman—eh, showrunner. Ahead of the show’s premiere on May 15, the original showrunner, Chad Feehan, has exited the series and will not return if it is renewed for a second season.

While there is no official news on whether there will be more episodes following the upcoming nine, it is likely given the massive success of its precursor, Yellowstone. Learn more about what went down on the ranch, why the Feehan left and what this means for future episodes.

Why did the showrunner leave?

Feehan is credited as not only the showrunner of Dutton Ranch but the creator as well, so to see him leave ahead of its debut is surprising. His previous credits include Southland (2013), Ray Donovan (2016-2019) and Lawmen: Bass Reeves (2023).

While nothing has been disclosed about the reasons surrounding his departure, a report from Puck News explained that nobody was thrilled about the way he was handling the spinoff’s production. This report stated that Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser—who portray Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, respectively—Taylor Sheridan and 101 Studios boss David Glasser all had an issue with Feehan. It reads that he “clashed on set with stars Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly and other key players, many of whom have been working on Yellowstone for nearly a decade.”

What this means for ‘Dutton Ranch’

As of now, the circumstances around the situation are all speculation. However, since the first season has yet to premiere, fans are certainly wondering what this means for the show and a potential second season. Luckily, Season 1 has been completed and is still set to air on May 15 as previously announced.

Feehan on making a series

Before joining Dutton Ranch, Feehan created Lawmen: Bass Reeves. In interviews following that show’s debut, he spoke about his approach to television writing and the elements he considers essential to the process—an approach that may not have always aligned with an already established creative team.

“I’ve always viewed TV writing as a team sport,” Feehan said in 2024. “And so, my job first and foremost was to hire a wide array of talented voices that could educate me on the things that I didn’t know and didn’t understand and continually steer the ship in the right direction. And I think we did a pretty good job of that; I had the greatest collaborators on this show and I’m so grateful to them as well to help me craft the narrative.”

He also discussed what he finds most important when telling a story. “I’m big on communicating a tone and a feeling through the action lines,” Feehan shared. “Which I know a lot of people don’t do, a lot of people will just sort of put the basic information of how people are moving through the scene… And then with department heads, it’s talking about the themes, and then primarily talking about authenticity—if it didn’t exist at the time, it does not belong in the show.”

Feehan and Sheridan have worked together

Another thing that is surprising about Feehan’s departure is that he and  Sheridan have worked together before on Lawmen: Bass Reeves. While Feehan was the creator, Sheridan was heavily involved as an executive producer.

“Taylor came in at beautiful moments and sprinkled some of his magical storytelling dust on the episodes,” Feehan reflected on working with Sheridan. “When it came to production, he has built this incredibly well-oiled machine that helped us execute what was on the page. In post[-production], he was there as well, sprinkling that magical dust that’s so innate to him and his ability to craft a story.”

Although what he shared was in admiration of Sheridan, it is possible that this “well-oiled machine” or something similar could have led to Feehan leaving Dutton Ranch.