★★★ (3 out of 4)
Franchise king Taylor Sheridan must have figured the only way to really create a new “Yellowstone” was to burn the old one down to the ground. And that’s just what Sheridan’s done on Paramount + with “Dutton Ranch.” Fan favorite couple Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) watch in horror as a massive wildfire destroys their Montana home and livelihood. Forced to relocate to Rio Paloma, Texas, they use the remnants of their finances to purchase Edwards Ranch from a widow who wanted to save it from soulless developers. “Will we be all right?” Beth asks Rip. “In success, yes,” he says. Both are pleased to rename the place the Dutton ranch in honor of what came before.