Cole Hauser admits Taylor Sheridan's absence from writers' room created 'challenges' on 'Dutton Ranch'

Cole Hauser is giving fans a glimpse behind the scenes of "Dutton Ranch" — and it wasn't all smooth riding.The actor, who reprises his fan-favorite role as Rip Wheeler in the "Yellowstone" spin-off, acknowledged the cast faced an uphill battle after franchise creator Taylor Sheridan stepped away from the show's writers' room during the spin-off’s first season."There were challenges, you know?" Hauser told Film Inside NYC."Not having Taylor [Sheridan] there, for us to really kind of be able to work with these new writers, these new directors, these people...

Everything had changed."ED HARRIS SAYS HE WAS READY TO LEAVE DUTTON RANCH AFTER FEELING MISLED ABOUT HIS ROLECole Hauser previously said his "Dutton Ranch" character Rip Wheeler reflects a "throwback to the old-school American man." (John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images; Lauren "Lo" Smith/Paramount+)"The only… normality that we had whatsoever was Carter [played by Finn Little], Christina [director Alexandra Voros] … Kelly and myself," he added. "Dutton Ranch," which wrapped its first season earlier this month, marked the first series in the "Yellowstone" universe not to be written by Sheridan. While the franchise creator remained on board as an executive producer, day-to-day creative duties shifted to showrunner Chad Feehan and an entirely new writing staff. For Hauser, the transition wasn't seamless. "I enjoy a challenge, it certainly was a challenge," he said."We worked our a--es off this year...

And I don't think a lot of the outside noise or the thought of, like, 'What's the weight of the show?' was really apparent to me at the time."LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSKelly Reilly as Beth Dutton and Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler in "Dutton Ranch." (Emerson Miller/Paramount+.)Rather than dwell on the expectations surrounding one of television's biggest franchises, Hauser said the cast focused on finding its footing with an unfamiliar creative team.The actor pointed out...