Here, Kutcher tells us a little bit about life onThe Ranch.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You and Danny have remained close friends over the years.
Had you been talking about doing a project together for a while?
Credit: Patrick Wymore/Netflix
We were talking about this is our chance to reunite and do something again together.
I mean, he was really my first friend in Los Angeles, so its pretty cool.
So it was all pretty serendipitous.
I wasnt interested in just doing another pat sitcom.
But everything else is changing, and the digital medium is changing.
So how will it disrupt the sitcom?
The first thing that we wanted to do was set it in small-town America.
I dont think the success ofDuck Dynastywas an accident.
I think that show was successful because it spoke to a specific audience that can relate to that life.
That was step one: Whos our audience?
And we feel like thats our audience.
The other thing is, What are the values of those people in small-town America?
Its the red states.
We are that audience, and so we embraced it, and it is the culture of our characters.
So I think its culturally disruptive.
Its definitely got a little bit more edge to it.
Our shows are about 30 minutes.
Theres a lot more content there, and theres more thoughtful storytelling, and theres heartfelt moments.
Another part of the convention that weve really broken is with music.
Theres country music in it.
And then weve lit it differently.
Weve built a different kind of set that has never been seen.
A lot of the show plays outdoors, which is unconventional for a sitcom.
You two hang out all the time, but what was it like to be back onstage with Danny?
Did you click right back into it?
Its trippy for a couple reasons.
Its sort of a peek into our exact relationship in some ways.
How would you describe Colt, and what do you like most about playing him so far?
Hes a very confident guy.
But he still has that confident arrogance of a small-town hero.
And how would you sum up the relationship dynamic between Colt and Rooster?
Our relationship is contentious, but the history of Danny and my friendship bleeds into the characters.
Theyre best friends, but they fing hate each other.
Let me tell you about Sam Elliott.Tombstoneis one of my all-time favorite movies.
And you get that immediately from Sam.
Debra naturally had all of those qualities, and we just thought: This is it.
Are the parents caught in the middle of their sons relationship?
Or the other way around?
He needs their help to do it, but needs it begrudgingly.
Hes kind of like the Archie Bunker of our show.
Hes this rancher kind of caught in time.
So they have this really unconventional marriage happening where theyre together but theyre not together.
But theyre still hooking up?
Theyre still hooking up and theyre still married, but theyre not together.
I mean, its a real fed-up family.
