Even as a Yellowstone fan, I can admit the latter seasons came with diminishing returns on most every front, with Cole Hauser’s Rip being perhaps the lone exception. As such, centering a spinoff around him and Beth (Kelly Reilly) made perfect sense, and thankfully, it works. New showrunner Chad Feehan skillfully blends familiarity with freshness, and putting Hauser, Reilly, and their tremendous chemistry front and center — alongside sparkplug Jai Courtney and icons Annette Bening and Ed Harris — reinvigorates the troubled franchise. Granted, bitch-ass teenager Carter (Finn Little) wears thin, but overall, the new sandbox and absence of Yellowstone creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan has done wonders.