Dutton Ranch Season 2: Ed Harris Returning For Yellowstone Spin-Off Despite Criticism

Everett McKinney isn't putting Rio Paloma, Texas, in his rearview mirror just yet. Despite Ed Harris recently expressing displeasure about the size of his role in Season 1 of "Dutton Ranch," he is expected to return for the second season of the "Yellowstone" spin-off, Deadline reports.

On "Dutton Ranch," Harris plays a tough-but-tender Vietnam vet and veterinarian named Everett, who spent who spent most of Season 1 tending to Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip's (Cole Hauser) animals on the ranch — that is, when he wasn't tending to the romantic needs of Beulah (Annette Bening). Despite being arguably the biggest name in the cast, Everett remained a supportive presence on the show, never the catalyst for a new storyline of his own.

During a recent interview with Variety, the four-time Oscar nominee admitted that he felt "misled" into accepting the role, which he originally believed would be more central to the action.

"Prior to signing on for it, I was talked to quite a bit about what the season was, and what my character was going to do, and that I was one of the four main characters — and that wasn't really the case," Harris admitted, adding that he was "ready to say, 'get me the f**k out of here'" before wrapping production on Season 1.

Harris said he brought those concerns to the Powers That Be, expressing that he felt "underused and inconsequential" to the show, but according to the actor, his complaint was met with a simple, "Oh."

According to Deadline, Everett will be "front and center" when the show returns for Season 2 in 2027. In fact, the departure of series creator Chad Feehan as showrunner was reportedly due in part to Harris' complaints. Harris also reportedly had a hand in approving "SEAL Team" creator Benjamin Cavell as Feehan's replacement for Season 2. (When news of Feehan's departure broke ahead of the "Dutton Ranch" series premiere, Puck News attributed the exit to behind-the-scenes friction with Hauser, Reilly, and "other key players.")

As Harris confirmed during his candid interview with Variety, he did sign a two-year deal with "Dutton Ranch," and according to Deadline, it includes an option for a third. Production on Season 2 reportedly begins on January 15. TVLine has reached out to Paramount+ for comment.

Ed Harris may have been displeased with the way his role on "Dutton Ranch" Season 1 turned out, but if he had never accepted the part of Everett McKinney, we also might not have gotten Annette Bening as Beulah Jackson. Allow us to explain.

TVLine spoke with Bening ahead of the "Yellowstone" spin-off's series premiere, and she told us that Harris' involvement was one of the main reasons she agreed to sign on to "Dutton Ranch" in the first place.

"Part of why I'm here is because I knew Ed [Harris] was in the show, and Ed is such a wonderful actor," Bening told TVLine. "Beulah and Everett have this long, complicated history, and that for me is very intriguing to try to tap into. That's all very rich and interesting to try to explore, and I just loved playing those scenes. As it develops, hopefully it gets more juicy for everybody."

And things certainly did get juicy (with a capital J!) for Everett and Beulah. The former lovers gradually drifted back to one another as the first season progressed, with Beulah's heart attack in Episode 7 significantly accelerating that process. Unfortunately, the finale exposed a number of secrets that Beulah had been keeping from Everett — including that she has been working with the cartel to smuggle fentanyl through the 10-Petal Ranch's cattle for years — and he was forced to end their relationship once more.

What are your hopes for Everett, Beulah, and the rest of the Rio Paloma crew in Season 2 of "Dutton Ranch"? Did you think he was underused in Season 1? And would you miss him if he disappeared from the show entirely? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.