The Ranch (TV series)

The Ranch is an American comedy web television series starring Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Debra Winger and Sam Elliott that debuted in 2016 on Netflix.^[2] The show takes place on the fictional Iron River Ranch in Garrison, Colorado, detailing the life of the Bennetts, a dysfunctional family consisting of two brothers, their rancher father, and his separated wife and local bar owner.^[3] The opening sequence shows scenes from Ouray, Colorado and surrounding Ouray Country. The first season is split into two batches of ten episodes:^[4] the first ten episodes premiered on April 1, 2016,^[5][6] the second batch of ten episodes premiered on October 7, 2016. In April 2016, Netflix renewed The Ranch for a second season of 20 episodes.^[7][8]

Cast

Main

• Ashton Kutcher as Colt Bennett, a former high school and college football star who returns to his hometown after a fifteen-year absence for a tryout, but ultimately helps his father and older brother on their family ranch
• Danny Masterson as Jameson “Rooster” Bennett, Colt's older brother who has lived in his shadow
• Debra Winger as Margaret "Maggie" Bennett, owner of Maggie's, and Colt and Rooster's mother
• Sam Elliott as Beau Bennett, Maggie's ex-husband, and Colt and Rooster's grouchy father

Recurring

• Elisha Cuthbert as Abigail "Abby" Phillips, a Garrison High School history teacher and Colt's girlfriend
• Wilmer Valderrama as Umberto, a former Iron River ranch hand, now working for Neumann's Hill at the My Little Pony Ranch
• Bret Harrison as Kenneth "Kenny" Ballard, a Courtyard by Marriott manager and Abby's ex-fiancé
• Megyn Price as Mary Roth, a Cracker Barrel waitress and Rooster's older girlfriend
• Barry Corbin as Dale, a hearing-impaired veterinarian and close friend of Beau's
• Kathy Baker as Joanne, a Cracker Barrel waitress and Mary's friend
• John Amos as Ed Bishop, a longtime family friend of the Bennetts and a Neumann's Hill employee
• Martin Mull as Jerry, Maggie and Beau's divorce attorney
• Ethan Suplee as "Beer Pong Billy" Tompkins, a police officer and high school friend of Colt and Rooster's
• Kelli Goss as Heather Roth, Mary's younger daughter and Colt's ex-girlfriend, possibly pregnant with their child
• Grady Lee Richmond as Hank, a Maggie's patron
• Molly McCook as Darlene Roth, Mary's older daughter
• Aimeé Teegarden as Nikki, Heather's friend and Billy's fianceé
• Chasty Ballesteros as Tanya Showers, a sexy weather reporter and Kenny's current girlfriend
• Laura Vallejo as Maria, a Maggie's waitress

Special Guests

• Jon Cryer as Bill Jensen, a loan officer and former high school football referee

Cameos

• Joe Firstman
• Pearl Charles
• Kurt Neumann
• Bukka Allen
• Sam Hawksley

Episodes

Season 1

Reception

The Ranch has been met with mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the series an approval rating of 56%, based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A formulaic set-up and predictable plotting are elevated by The Ranch's surprising sensitivity and strong performances."^[9] Metacritic gave the series a score of 56 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[10] Netflix users have rated The Ranch 4.5/5 stars and IMDB users have rated it 7.5/10 stars.

Writing for Slate in a positive review, television critic Willa Paskin wrote of the show, "The Ranch is a red-state sitcom, though it takes place in the swing state of Colorado, and is good enough to be watched by people of any political affiliation" and "The goodness sneaks up on you."^[11] Los Angeles Times wrote: "[Elliott and Winger's] scenes together, as restrained as they are, are the show's most emotionally resonant. You will want to check them out."^[12]

References

External links

• The Ranch at the Internet Movie Database