Rank: 2.5/5
Ashton Kutcher finds himself at home in Netflix’s newest series, “The Ranch,” which premiered April 1.
“The Ranch” is a family dramedy created by Don Reo and Jim Patterson, who served as executive producers for “Two and a Half Men.” The series also stars Sam Elliott, Debra Winger and Danny Masterson, who worked with Kutcher on “That ‘70s Show.”
Season one consists of two separate batches of ten episodes each, the first of which was released Friday. The second batch release date has not been announced.
The series premiere, “Back Where I Came From,” depicts a struggling family. They deal with finances, but also, each other. Prodigal son Colt Bennett (Kutcher) has spent years striving for a football career, but he’s in his thirties and his career has yet to take off, so he returns home.
Rooster Bennett (Masterson) felt obligated to remain at the ranch and allow his little brother to chase his dreams, but that meant giving up on his own. Throughout the episode, he feels left behind and unappreciated.
Colt and his father, Beau Bennett (Elliott), constantly butt heads throughout the episode. Beau resents Colt for leaving and for then squandering his opportunities. Colt is indignant with his father for his stubbornness and his failure to believe in him.
The series shows the hardship of country living and of small town life. While honest, the show is as stereotypical as a country song. The jokes are forced and formulaic.
The Bennetts reinforce their status as diehard Republicans with their constant criticism of Obama, Al Gore and global warming, but the judgment doesn’t stop there. Millennials, Amazon, online banking and Uggs all earn a spot in the discussion of what’s wrong with America these days.
The characters are intriguing, but are surface level and lack emotional development. The plot takes a back seat to the family’s ever-present arguments, which are rarely resolved.
But, the series takes advantage of Netflix’s language rules, with the characters dropping f-bombs every now and then— much like a real family. “The Ranch” is almost a mix of two very different shows. Colt and Rooster provide the humor, while their parents, Beau and Maggie, mainly provide viewers with raw emotion and familial struggles.
The show, while predictable, may appeal to those in the middle of the country— the farmers, ranchers, hunters, fishermen, and those with a propensity to small town life — one of Netflix’s key demographics.