Dutton Ranch, the new
Yellowstone spinoff, makes clear that graft and power plays extend beyond Washington, D.C.
If you enjoyed the rugged cowboy swagger that defined Yellowstone, this Paramount spin-off, Dutton Ranch, will feel right at home. The series tracks Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, beloved figures from Yellowstone, a married couple who move away from Montana in search of a peaceful Texas ranch, only to discover that quiet is not on the menu.
The pair crosses paths with the Jackson clan, the most formidable family in Rio Paloma, and watches as matriarch Beulah Jackson wields her kin’s wealth to gain political leverage by backing campaigns for local officials. In one moment, Jackson hints to the newly elected Sheriff Handy Wade what she anticipates in exchange for her funding. “The election contribution I gave you was not” a “small thing,” she declares. In another scene, a Jackson sits in the sheriff’s chair, and when asked to relinquish it, retorts, “Don’t forget who paid for it.”
Dutton Ranch serves as a reminder that corporatism operates not only in Washington, but at every rung of government—county offices, zoning boards, mayors’ suites, and, of course, sheriff’s departments.
