When you think of a sitcom, you probably picture a brightly lit living room in a New York apartment or a suburban kitchen in Ohio. You don't usually think of a gritty, swear-heavy show about a failing cattle business in Colorado. Yet, The Ranch, Ashton Kutcher’s long-running Netflix project, dared to be exactly that. It was a weird, sometimes uncomfortable, but deeply earnest attempt to bridge the gap between "blue-state" streaming services and "red-state" reality.
Honestly, it worked better than it had any right to.
Kutcher played Colt Bennett, a failed semi-pro quarterback who basically crawls back to his hometown with his tail between his legs. He’s 34, he’s wearing Ugg boots (which his dad, played by the legendary Sam Elliott, never lets him forget), and he has absolutely zero idea how to actually run a farm. It was a far cry from his That '70s Show days, even though it reunited him with Danny Masterson.
Why The Ranch and Ashton Kutcher Still Spark Debate
For four seasons and eighty episodes, the show tackled things most sitcoms wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. We're talking about the crushing reality of drought, the struggle to keep a multi-generational business afloat, and the physical toll of manual labor.
But it wasn't all heavy.
The humor was raunchy. It was salty. It felt like a conversation you'd actually hear in a dive bar in rural America. People loved the chemistry between Kutcher and Masterson, which made what happened later even harder for the fans to stomach.
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The Masterson Controversy and the Pivot
Midway through the run, the show hit a massive wall. Danny Masterson was fired following serious allegations of sexual assault. This wasn't just a minor casting change; Rooster Bennett was the heart of the show's comedic engine. Writing him off—having him "disappear" after a threat—shifted the tone from a buddy comedy to something much darker.
Ashton Kutcher found himself in a tough spot. He was the executive producer and the lead. He had to keep the ship upright while his long-time friend was ousted. Eventually, Dax Shepard was brought in as Luke Matthews, a cousin with PTSD, to fill the void. It changed the dynamic. Some fans stayed, some left. It felt like the show was mourning its own premise.
Realism vs. The Studio Audience
One of the strangest things about The Ranch was its format. It was filmed on a soundstage at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank. That's right—it wasn't filmed in Colorado. They used Stage 19, the same place they filmed The West Wing.
They had a live audience. They had a laugh track.
Usually, multi-cam sitcoms feel light and airy. But this show would have these incredibly long, silent, dramatic beats where Sam Elliott’s character, Beau, would just stare into the middle distance, contemplating his failures. It was jarring. One minute you're laughing at a joke about a "Bud Light" and the next you're watching a family fall apart because they can't afford the electricity bill.
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Does it actually reflect rural life?
If you ask someone from a ranching background, they’ll tell you the show got some things right and plenty wrong. The accents? A bit all over the place. The actual "ranching"? You rarely saw a cow.
However, the values felt real to a lot of people.
- Self-reliance: Beau Bennett would rather die than ask for a government handout.
- Family Loyalty: No matter how much they insulted each other, they stayed.
- The Struggle: It highlighted the "small-town brain drain" where the talented kids leave and the ones who stay feel stuck.
Ashton’s Real-Life "Ranch" Connection
It’s worth noting that Kutcher isn’t just playing a part. He’s an Iowa boy. He grew up in a town called Homestead (population: tiny). He’s mentioned in interviews that he wanted to do this show because he felt like Hollywood ignored the people he grew up with.
Interestingly, while the show ended in 2020, Kutcher and his wife, Mila Kunis, actually built their own version of a modern ranch in Beverly Hills. They call it "KuKu Farms." It’s a six-acre property with a massive sustainable barn, solar power, and actual crops. They’re literally farming in the middle of one of the richest zip codes in the world.
It seems the "Colt Bennett" lifestyle stuck with him more than we thought.
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The Legacy of the Show
When the show finally wrapped, Kutcher said it was because "the story was told." He didn't want it to become one of those shows that drags on for ten years until no one remembers why they liked it in the first place. He’d seen that happen on Two and a Half Men, and he wanted a clean exit for the Bennetts.
The show remains a staple on Netflix. It’s a "comfort watch" for some and a "frustrating experiment" for others.
If you're looking to dive into the world of the Bennett family, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Watch for the Chemistry: The early seasons with the original trio are peak "old school" sitcom energy.
- Brace for Tone Shifts: Don't expect a constant laugh-a-minute; it gets heavy, especially in the later parts.
- Check Out the Soundtrack: The show features some incredible country music that sets the mood perfectly.
Next Steps for Fans:
If you've already finished the series and want more of that rural, gritty vibe, check out Yellowstone for the drama or Letterkenny for the fast-paced rural comedy. You can also look into the Architectural Digest feature on Kutcher’s real-life "KuKu Farms" to see how the actor translated his TV ranching life into a sustainable, real-world home.