The Ranch Parts 1 to 6 is available to stream on Netflix – Copyright. Ranch Hand Productions
That’s all she wrote folks. After much rumour and speculation over the past year, we now have confirmation that The Ranch will end after 4 seasons on Netflix.
The news broke on the 4th of June after lead actor Ashton Kutcher tweeted that the Ranch will be ending after 4 seasons.
@theranchnetflix is coming to an end, but not just yet. We’re excited to bring you the final 20 episodes — 10 streaming later this year (2019) on @netflix, and then 10 more in 2020. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/dX9vzjHm4T
— ashton kutcher (@aplusk) June 4, 2019
Regardless of the show’s popularity amongst subscribers, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the sitcom is ending soon. With the recent influx in cancellations by Netflix, The Ranch is simply just another show to bite the dust.
Why has The Ranch been cancelled?
At the time of writing Netflix is yet to release a statement about why The Ranch has been cancelled. The only word we’ve received thus far is from Ashton Kutcher. As time goes on and we draw ever closer to the end of The Ranch we’d expect to hear some statements on the cancellation by an executive from Netflix or from the showrunners.
Does cancellation have anything to do with Danny Masterson?
While the series has maintained much of its viewership there are many that called for the return of Danny Masterson (Rooster). At the same time because of the controversy surrounding the allegations aimed as Masterson, there are some who refused to watch the series any further out of protest in both support and ire for the actor.
We don’t support the idea that Netflix has cancelled The Ranch because of the influence of these allegations. The likely scenario being the expense of the series is costing Netflix is cause for cancellation.
Some fans have expressed though that the show hasn’t been the same without Masterson’s involvement.
Just saw that they cancelled the ranch on Netflix. 🙄 So pissed but I understand. It’s not the same after they killed off rooster. 🤷🏼♀️
— Camila (@fave_hispanic) June 4, 2019
Rising Costs?
When Ashton Kutcher was on Two and a Half Men the highest he was earning per episode was $755,000. It’s unlikely Kutcher is on that level of money for The Ranch but the cost of the actor’s wage must be considerable. With each passing Season/Part that is released, naturally, viewership drops bit by bit.
With rising costs of production and a decrease in viewership is likely the biggest factor for why the series has been cancelled.
Are the actors working on other projects?
Outside of The Ranch the main core of actors has been somewhat inactive.
The busiest of them all is Sam Elliot (Beau Bennett) who has provided his voice for Disney’s upcoming remake of Lady and the Tramp. Sam Elliot will also be lending his voice to the documentary on The Gettysburg Address which will release later in 2019.
Ashton Kutcher (Colt Bennett) will star in James Franco’s The Long Home which will potentially release this year. Principal photography took place in 2015, which was a year before filming of The Ranch even began.
Debra Winger (Maggie Bennett) will star in an upcoming project by Miranda July. Meanwhile, Elisha Cuthbert (Abby) doesn’t have any projects lined up but this could be contributed to the birth of her son in December 2017.
How have subscribers reacted to the news?
Naturally, there are plenty of fans pretty annoyed by the news.
Netflix cancelled The Ranch and my day is ruined now.
— Cowboy Grunt 🇺🇸 (@CowboyGrunt11c) June 4, 2019
Pretty pissed “The Ranch” got cancelled 🤬 pic.twitter.com/yzBUcDyiXM
— melanie (@melmartinet) June 5, 2019
Meanwhile, there are plenty of fans expressing their displeasure that The Ranch has 2 parts to conclude the story but Santa Clarita Diet received nothing.
Heyyyy @netflix Just your daily reminder that you cancelled your greatest comedy EVER to grace your red and black screen and then, to make it worse, you actually renewed THE RANCH 🤮 No offense @aplusk but definitely offense to @dannymasterson. #SaveSantaClaritaDiet pic.twitter.com/mCr49OVRPG
— ⚛️I have many quarks⚛️ (@dontpanic___42) May 26, 2019
Will The Ranch ever return?
With television shows in this day and age, there has been plenty of titles brought back from the dead. The more obvious ones that come to mind are Lucifer and Designated Survivor which Netflix helped resurrect.
If there is enough support and demand for more of The Ranch then Netflix could go back on the cancelation and continue the series. This is highly unlikely as Netflix doesn’t have a great track record of resurrecting their own cancelled Originals.
If The Ranch were to continue then it would need to be picked up by a different network. Not to state the obvious but the biggest issue for a network to pick up The Ranch is the cost. By time Season 4 concludes there will be 80 episodes to its name. Naturally, a new Network would fund the production of the fifth season but the library of episodes that came before would have to be dealt with.
When is Part 7 coming to Netflix?
As seen in the above tweet by Ashton Kutcher, Part 7 will arrive later this year. For more info on The Ranch, release schedule check out our ongoing preview.
Will you be sad to see The Ranch conclude after 4 seasons? Let us know in the comments below.
Rating: TV-MA
