‘The Ranch’ Is a Great Binge on Netflix

On Friday one of my kids was at home sick so I was working from home. I was catching up on some DVR as I was working, because I could, and saw a commercial for a show on Netflix called The Ranch. 

"A familiar looking sitcom on Netflix? Ashton Kutcher, another guy from that '70s Show, okay" I thought. "Maybe." Then Sam Elliot came on the screen and delivered a line that made me laugh out loud. I hit stop on the DVR and turned on Netflix, fired up The Ranch and was hooked.

Most critics love to find little things that most of us don't care about to rip a show. I'm not a critic and I try not to think deeply about things like TV shows (sans The Walking Dead of course). And several critics and bloggers ragged on this show as if it were completely missing the boat on pretentious quality television. That it may, but it is funny.

This is not the best sitcom I've ever seen but there are three things that really make this show good. One is the setting. It takes place on a ranch in rural Colorado. A lot of the characters' problems, thoughts and lifestyle are similar to those of farmers that I know. The characters complain about money, drink beer, and Ashton Kutcher's Colt Bennett character chews tobacco, even throwing in a big hairy dip on screen. Some would probably complain about the bad message that sends but it's authentic for a Colorado ranch hand.

Another thing that makes this show is Sam Elliott. He deep growl angrily delivering lines like "What in the f*** is almond milk?" had me laughing out loud every time. I've never seen him in a comedy and I love him in it. While Kutcher and Masterson (playing Rooster) sometimes feel like they are standup comics delivering punchlines, Elliott's comedic timing might be so good he makes me forget he is Sam Elliot and is just a stubborn old curmudgeon like a few I've known in my life. (Side note - Debra Winger is also really natural and feels at home in her Maggie's quirky way.)

Lastly, while it felt strange at times watching it happen on a sitcom filmed on a traditional sitcom studio setting, I love the show's use of the F-word. They don't overdo it like a Tarantino movie. They pick their spots and add it for comedic emphasis in a way that is much less offensive than how The Walking Dead removed it completely and at times neuters that show.

And damn me for mentioning The Walking Dead twice, well, three times now in this article.

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