LONE STAR LENS
From 'Grey's' spinoff to 'Dutton Ranch,' Hollywood is saying 'howdy' to Texas
Billy Bob Thornton stars in "Landman," set in West Texas.
Malin Akerman and Brittany snow in "The Hunting Wives," set in fictional Maple Brook, Texas
Josh Duhamel, left, and Minka Kelly star in "Ransom Canyon," a show set in a small Texas town but filmed primarily in new Mexico.
Cole Hauser returns as Rip Wheeler and Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton (above) in "Dutton Ranch," a new "Yellowstone" spinoff filmed in north Texas.
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Texas is riding high as Hollywood's go-to story setting, lassoing major series from two power-house TV franchises this spring. "Yellowstone" spinoff "Dutton Ranch" startled viewers by relocating Montana's royal couple, Rip (Cole Hauser) and Beth (Kelly Reilly), to North Texas for the new Paramount+ series that began airing in May.
Another surprise dropped last month when ABC announced a new "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff headed for remote West Texas.
That's right — the Shonda Rhimes series, famously set in Seattle's Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, will see the upcoming show take place at a medical center in rural Texas. The unnamed spinoff, slated for midseason 2027, is the first "Grey's" offspring not set on the West Coast or in a major city ("Private Practice," "Station 19").
"That 'Grey's' news was pretty huge," says Cindy McCreery, chair of the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin. "But we're seeing an increase in shows coming to Texas. There's so much diversity in terms of landscapes and different industries. People want to tell stories from here right now."
'Yellowstone' franchise makes a move
A major source of the TV love is, of course, the "Yellowstone effect." Creator Taylor Sheridan's hit shows like contemporary Western "Yellowstone" made rural-set dramas irresistible for networks and streamers.
Sheridan moved his universe's production to Texas with his SGS Studios, a massive 450,000-square-foot production campus outside Fort Worth that opened in 2025. Montana-set shows can still be a shot away from the Texas heat (including the snowstorm scene from "1923") as well as shows such as "Lioness" and Oklahoma's "Tulsa King." To boot, Sheridan's story gaze also transferred to Texas, notably with the hit drama "Landman," starring Billy Bob Thornton as an oil company fixer (now running his family company).
"Dutton Ranch" was seemingly headed to Beth and Rip's new ranch in Dillon, Montana, after "Yellowstone" ended in 2024. Two months before the series release, however, executive producer and director Christina Alexandra Voros announced that "Dutton Ranch," and the Duttons, had moved to Texas. Turns out a devastating Montana fire sends Rip and Beth to their new life.
The 1,500-mile location change was explained for story reasons, with the multigenerational Montana family now outsiders in a new, gritty environment for their spinoff. The "Dutton Ranch" locations are not far from the studio and Sheridan's own West Texas ranches: the 600-acre Bosque Ranch in Weatherford and the historic 6666 (Four Sixes) Ranch — the site of another possible spinoff series.
Netflix's 'Ransom Canyon' brings romance to Texas
Similar shows are moving into the Texas turf.Netflix's contemporary romance "Ransom Canyon," starring Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly (Season 2 drops July 23), is shot in Netflix's studios in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, but set in a fictional small town in Texas.
"Texas is such a ripe area to set shows; it gives that very Americana feel that people are craving right now," says "Ransom Canyon" executive producer and showrunner April Blair. "Texas is almost shorthand for the American experience." Though the "Ransom Canyon" book series by author Jodi Thomas is set in Texas, Blair gives credit to TV's hottest creator for spearheading the Texas migration.
"Taylor Sheridan is a once-in-a-generation writer and creator," Blair says. "And we're all jumping on the bandwagon in different ways."
Oil wealth on display
TV viewers have historically enjoyed all types of Texas life. But they especially love the oil money.
"Dallas" started that gushing on CBS in 1978, and "Landman" taps into this flashy fascination.
Netflix's "The Hunting Wives" highlights bigcity Sophie O'Neil (Brittany Snow) entering the world of wealthy socialite wives in an East Texas oil community, led by Margo Banks (Malin Akerman). Season 2 of the viral hit has wrapped production − with tax-friendly North Carolina serving as Maple Brook, Texas — and is due out later this year.
State boosts filmmaking incentives
Tired of New Mexico and North Carolina stealing their production dollars, Texas lawmakers are working to ensure more Texas series are shot in Texas.
After high-profile lobbying campaigns by the likes of Hollywood stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, lawmakers approved a major increase in the state's film and TV incentive program last May. The new deal dramatically increases funding and production rebates (up to 25%) through 2035 for Texas productions.
"2025 brought significant changes," Stephanie Whallon, director of the Texas Film Commission, said in a statement. "On-screen and in real life, Texas is a magnet that attracts productions from all over the world."
ABC has declined to say whether the new "Grey's" series will be shot in Texas or even who's leading the cast with Houston-born executive producer and showrunner Meg Marinis. But the concept of a remote Texas medical clinic, which often is staffed by internationally recruited doctors and nurses, adds another level of rich potential storytelling.
Moving to Texas has difficulties, however. "Dutton Ranch" star Hauser spoke to USA Today about dealing with the weather, which can go from 118 degrees to snow in a heartbeat. "Texas is a beast," he says.
Then there are the snakes. "Dutton Ranch" director Voros estimated that 275 snakes were removed by wranglers during filming.
But Hauser was stoic about the threat: "The snakes don't bother me," Hauser says. "And I don't bother them."
