The Ranch Is Ending At Netflix, But There's Good News
Netflix brought Ashton Kutcher back to the small screen as star of The Ranch. It started out as a fun showcase for an actor who was best known on television for his role on That '70s Show while teaming him up with one of his That '70s Show costars in Danny Masterson. The show started making some unpleasant headlines back in 2017 due to Masterson, but the show hung on anyway. Now, sadly for fans, the end is nigh for The Ranch. But it's not all bad news!
Ashton Kutcher himself broke the news about the end as well as shared the good news via Twitter. Take a look at his message:
News of The Ranch's end may have come down after three full seasons were released on Netflix, but that doesn't mean it's done after three seasons! The show was renewed for a fourth and now final season. Considering how The Ranch releases new seasons on the streaming giant, the order for one more season may as well be a renewal for two more seasons. Ten episodes are coming before then end of 2019, and ten more in 2020. The end isn't really all that nigh!
In case you're surprised that The Ranch has currently only aired three season, I'm guessing it's because of the split release schedule. Although most Netflix shows seem to air full seasons of 8-13 episodes, The Ranch is one of the few that has scored orders for network TV-length seasons simply split into two chunks.
Two batches of ten episodes aired in 2016 for the first season, two batches of ten in 2017 for the second season, and two batches of ten in 2018 for the third season. Season 4 will be the first and only season of The Ranch to air one half in one year and one half in another.
All things considered, the odds of The Ranch hitting Season 4 at all felt pretty low for a while. The show mostly flew under the radar at Netflix, which had monster hits like Stranger Things and the Marvel shows getting most of the attention. When The Ranch did finally start gaining attention from more than its core group of viewers, it was because Danny Masterson was accused of sexual assault.
Danny Masterson was eventually fired from The Ranch, and he was replaced by a solid comedy actor. His character was written out neatly enough, although the show went even farther following his final appearance to seemingly throw him off a cliff. Rooster's motorcycle was found at the bottom of a cliff, and he was presumed dead.
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If Danny Masterson hadn't been fired under such ugly circumstances, it might have felt like the door was left open for a return before the end. As it stands, I'd be very surprised if Rooster makes another on-screen appearance on The Ranch. Maybe the show could simply reveal that he's alive without bringing Masterson back!
Ashton Kutcher didn't reveal a precise premiere date for the first half of Season 4, and there's a lot of 2019 left, so be sure to check out the 2019 Netflix premiere guide for some viewing options in the not-too-distant future. The first three seasons -- or six parts, depending on how you look at it -- of The Ranch are streaming on Netflix now.
Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).
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