Of all wildcats in the modern Wild West, Beth Dutton (the fierce Kelly Reilly<\/a>) should know better than to tempt fate. \u201cWe\u2019re free now, baby,\u201d she coos to her cowboy soulmate Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser<\/a>) in the tranquil opening moments of the anything-but-tranquil Yellowstone<\/a><\/em> spinoff Dutton Ranch<\/a><\/em>. Cuddling under the Montana stars, she exults in the peace and quiet, having weathered so many storms during Yellowstone<\/em>\u2018s five tumultuous seasons.<\/p>\n But Mother Nature is one bitch even Beth can\u2019t conquer, and before the opening credits roll, a fiery tragedy uproots these survivors, sending them and their young ward Carter (Finn Little<\/a>) south to Texas to start anew. After a quick time jump, they\u2019re back in business, establishing an upstart Dutton Ranch in the burg of La Paloma.<\/p>\n And so begins the true continuation of the Yellowstone<\/em> saga. (Her brother Kayce\u2019s adventures as a U.S. Marshal on the CBS procedural Marshals<\/a><\/em> may as well be in a different universe.) For many fans, Beth and Rip\u2019s torrid relationship was the backbone of that series, with the cutthroat corporate shark drawn to the burly Man in Black, each ruthless in their own salty way as they bridged a cultural divide between Dallas<\/em>-style soap-opera melodrama and the rugged traditional Western.<\/p>\n Lauren Smith\/Paramount+<\/p>\n<\/div>\n All of these elements are in play in Dutton Ranch<\/em> as they soon become embroiled in new intrigues involving La Paloma\u2019s reigning dynasty, the Jacksons of the 10 Petal ranch, led by the formidable matriarch Beulah (the great Annette Bening<\/a>). Her face may be framed by wide granny glasses, but Beulah\u2019s the opposite of a pushover, coldly telling her new bunkhouse foreman, \u201cI will not tolerate disappointment.\u201d From the first moment she locks horns with Beth on a business deal that quickly goes sideways, we find ourselves eagerly awaiting their next juicy encounter. Beth\u2019s assessment of her new adversary as a \u201cgrizzly in Gucci\u201d is almost, but not quite, a sign of respect.<\/p>\n The Jacksons, not unlike the Duttons, have their share of secrets and headaches, including a very dark horse named Rob-Will (Jai Courtney<\/a>) who\u2019s the rotten apple of his mother\u2019s eye, and she\u2019ll go to great lengths to smooth over his many misdeeds. It doesn\u2019t hurt that they have a near-monopoly over local businesses, including a successful slaughterhouse (which could conceivably become this series\u2019 version of Chekhov\u2019s gun), with the local authorities in their pocket.<\/p>\n Seeing the Dutton brand as an underdog is a new vibe, and it\u2019s also an adjustment to see Beth in a slightly more humbled state, even telling Rip of their fresh start, \u201cI want it simple.\u201d He wisely reminds her, \u201cYou can\u2019t chase peace. You got to live it,\u201d to which she responds, bearing scars of her past battles, \u201cWhat if the world won\u2019t let us?\u201d<\/p>\n As fans well know, the world of Yellowstone<\/em> is rarely peace-forward, and no road to riches comes without significant bumps and violent detours. Created by showrunner Chad Feehan<\/a>, Dutton Ranch<\/em> hews closely to the Taylor Sheridan<\/a> formula of colorfully profane dialogue and gut-wrenching plot twists, setting a tone of heightened drama tinged with a melancholy wistfulness for the way things supposedly used to be.<\/p>\n Though Beth is still a barracuda when it comes to strong-arming restaurateurs in big-city Dallas to sample her grade-A beef, this series reveals her softer side, when she bonds with Everett, a quietly compassionate local veterinarian (Ed Harris<\/a>, underplaying masterfully) and rests her maternal gaze on wayward teen-age Carter. Rip likewise bears his soul when he welcomes onto his skeleton crew Zacharia, a repentant ex-con who found faith behind bars (Marc Menchaca<\/a>, playing against his usual villainous type).<\/p>\n