“Dutton Ranch” Excluded From Emmy Nominations Due To 1 Strict Rule
on Jul 08, 2026 • Updated Jul 08, 2026
The nominees for the 2026 Emmy Awards were revealed on Wednesday morning (July 8th) at 11:30 AM ET. But you won’t find Dutton Ranch in the list.
Dutton Ranch is a Yellowstone spin-off following Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler as they establish new roots in Texas. The series was a smash success for Paramount+, with its first two episodes attracting 12.9 million viewers within 7 days of their release.
This shattered the record for the largest series premiere in Paramount+ history.
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Despite its impressive ratings and popularity, Dutton Ranch will not be nominated for an Emmy this year. This is due to a strict rule that excludes the series from consideration.
As PEOPLE explains, a show must air on TV or be available to stream during a set eligibility window to qualify for Emmy nominations. This year’s window stretched from June 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026.
Dutton Ranch had only released four of its nine episodes by the time the Emmys’ eligibility window closed. The last five episodes from Season 1 fall within next year’s eligibility window.
PEOPLE reports that Paramount+ opted to submit the whole season for consideration in 2027, rather than split it into two parts. From the outside looking in, this seems like a good strategy to boost Dutton Ranch‘s chances of scoring a nod (or more) next year. After all, the last five episodes of the season contained some of the most shocking and powerful plot points.
Dutton Ranch has already been renewed for a second season. Gold Derby explains that if Season 2 is released within the eligibility window for the 2027 Emmy Awards, it will also qualify for nomination that year.
What Do We Know About Season 2 Of Dutton Ranch?
As mentioned above, Dutton Ranch has been renewed for another season. Not much is known about Season 2 at the time of this writing, and production hasn’t started yet. Paramount+ hasn’t shared a release date either.
We do know that Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, who play Beth and Rip, seem poised to return to the series. They recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the upcoming season and where it’s going after Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger.
“I think we have some ideas about season two, with where we left season one. We can’t talk about the ending, but we’re super excited about where it goes and so we already know sort of where the beginning is and that’s exciting,” Reilly said.
Natalie Alyn Lind, the blonde bombshell who plays Carter’s love interest, Oreana Jackson, has talked about what fans can expect from her character in Season 2.
“…that’s opened up an entire can of worms for Season 2, to see how that affects her and her entire family,” Lind told Variety regarding a major reveal in the Season 1 finale, and how that will impact Oreana moving forward.
When speaking about the way her character will react to a traumatic event that occurred in the finale, Lind said, “It definitely excites me for what’s going to come in Season 2. I’m excited to see how she handles this, and to go back to filming and jump into what this is going to look like.”
Stay tuned for future updates about Season 2!
