Netflix's The Ranch stars Ashton Kutcher, but it's his co-stars who make it watchable
Comedy tells story of a washed-up footballer who lives with his parents, played by Sam Elliott, Debra Winger
With its old-fashioned audience laugh track and predictable punchlines, the saving grace of Netflix's comedy series The Ranch, starring Ashton Kutcher, is the rest of his cast.
Kutcher plays the role of Colt Bennett, a washed-up football player who returns to his hometown to live with his parents. They can deliver lines effortlessly, which makes the less funny ones easier to forgive.
Sam Elliott, with his characteristic deep voice and Western drawl, plays Kutcher's stern father.
"It's very much a leap of faith I think," Elliott told CBC in Los Angeles about first signing on to the series without seeing a full script. "You're saying yes to the project, yes to the people that you're going to work with and yes to the network."
Academy award-nominated actress Debra Winger, who plays Bennett's cheeky mother, said part of the draw to the series was being able to try something new.
"You're definitely a team going in to make the show each week," she said. "It doesn't matter how you feel about each other. You got to work together."
Danny Masterson and Canadian Elisha Cuthbert round out the cast.
The Ranch was created by Jim Patterson and Don Reo, the writers behind the hit TV series Two and a Half Men which lasted 12 seasons.
Netflix has ordered two 10-episode seasons. The first set debuted April 1.