Abhiroop Das
Created by Chad Feehan, Paramount+’s ‘Dutton Ranch‘ expands on the world of ‘Yellowstone,’ while also serving as the direct sequel to its thrilling conclusion. This time, the story is not about John Dutton and his sprawling family ranch, but about the humble beginnings of Beth and Rip. Though they lead a life of idyllic perfection in Montana, a series of unfortunate events soon sweeps them to the other end of the country, Texas. Here, the family makes their new home in the quaint town of Rio Paloma, where the fact that everyone knows everyone else is not a matter of happenstance, but design. The de facto leader of this entire town is the Jacksons, who naturally come into conflict with Rip and Beth as the series progresses. Throughout all of this, we learn more about Rio Paloma bit by bit, soaking in its past and allowing it to reflect the Duttons’ future.
Rio Paloma is Designed From Scratch as the Backbone of Rip and Beth’s Arcs
Rio Paloma is a fictional town created by Chad Feehan and his writing team to serve as the main setting of ‘Dutton Ranch.’ Following their abrupt shift from Montana due to a wildfire, Beth and Rip come across a 7000-acre ranch up for sale, and sense their golden opportunity to start anew. With this premise, Rio Paloma is invented to embody the themes of transition that dominate the first couple of episodes of the show. In a conversation with Southern Living, director Christina Alexandra Voros explained the decision for this shift, stating, “It was very important to make sure that it was both a new beginning, but also honoring the legacy of where they came from.”
In a conversation with D Magazine, executive producer David Glasser also opined on the shift in settings, adding, “Rip and Beth are used to the mountains and streams of Montana, and Texas is cowboy country in a different way.” This conscious attempt at putting the characters out of their comfort zone means that the town of Rio Paloma is now central to the narrative, to the point that it was also originally considered as the name of the show, in keeping with the name ‘Yellowstone’ also describing a setting.
Despite the changes in the show’s name, Rio Paloma’s significance in the story doesn’t decrease one bit, as everything revolves around the power structures that the town has developed over the years. Much of the exterior sequences were thus filmed in real locations to maximize the immersion factor, with the cities of Dallas, Weatherford, Ferris, and Boyd, among others, emerging as key locations where the crew set up camp. To that end, the show also potentially takes some inspiration from the lived experiences of the crew. Taylor Sheridan, one of the producers and the original creator of ‘Yellowstone,’ famously lives on a ranch in the Lone Star State, and the same holds true for director Voros. Glasser has also spent a lot of time in the state, and their combined wealth of knowledge and experience is likely key to how the show captures its setting.
The Creators Conceptualize Rio Paloma As a Living, Breathing Setting
Texas as it is depicted in ‘Dutton Ranch’ has been described as a character in its own right, with Christina Alexandra Voros telling Southern Living, “It is the rock against which everyone must break themselves on the screen and off,” she described facing a whiplash of extreme weather conditions, with temperatures hitting 107 degrees Fahrenheit at one point, only for the production to be halted much later due to a multi-day ice storm. These experiences manage to find their way into the script, especially with how Beth and Rip, still new to the environment, often talk about the heat. “Montana was rugged and difficult in its own way, but it feels like everything levels up a little bit in Texas,” Voros concluded.
When beginning work on the show, Glasser and his team rejected the option to use greenscreens or framing alternative locations in Texas during the shoot. This meant setting up shop in the actual state and hopping around multiple locations to make the story work. What makes Rio Paloma feel particularly real, however, is the character work, in that every element of the story seems to be well-realized. One soon comes to believe that this is a town with its own history and culture, and by framing this through the eyes of beginners Rip and Beth, it allows the show to progress into the world-building more naturally. While Rio Paloma may not be the name of a real town in Texas, the show manages to craft a believable location to amplify the story.
Read More: Dutton Ranch: Is 10 Petal Ranch Based on a Real Ranch?
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