Star Cole Hauser, who plays Rip Wheeler, said filming the Yellowstone spin-off’s first season left the cast and crew “wiped out,” according to a recent interview with People.
“We went through a lot of weather issues with the heat, then the freezing cold, and there were ice storms,” he said. “It was just nuts.”
The show, which debuted in May, is set in a fictional South Texas town but was shot across the D-FW area, including in Ferris, Cleburne, Weatherford, Dallas, Fort Worth and Mineral Wells. From searing summer heat to frigid winter storms, it sounds like the crew got the full local weather experience. They also caught several thousand rattlesnakes across eight months of filming, according to Hauser.
“There were challenges, you know? Not having Taylor there,” Hauser said in an interview with Film Inside NYC. “For us to really kind of be able to work with these new writers, these new directors, these people — everything had changed.”
Despite the various troubles, Dutton Ranch has turned into an undeniable hit within the expanding world of Sheridan programming. The show had the largest original series launch on Paramount+ with nearly 13 million views in its first week. It’s no surprise Paramount announced in June that the show was being renewed for a second season.
“The audience loved it. The critics loved it,” Hauser told People. “I can’t wait to continue to make Dutton Ranch as good as it can be.”