The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2017–2023
Netflix wrote Danny Masterson out of The Ranch mid-production
Netflix fired a sitcom star while its next season was being shot, and six years later a jury convicted him on two felony counts.
Netflix · 2017-12-04
What happened
In early December 2017 Netflix fired Danny Masterson, a star of its sitcom The Ranch, after allegations of misconduct became public. The company said: 'As a result of ongoing discussions, Netflix and the producers have written Danny Masterson out of The Ranch. Monday was his last day on the show, and production will resume in early 2018 without him.' The second half of season 2, already filmed, aired weeks later with him still in it.
The Ranch was built around a comedy family of three brothers; Netflix kept the show going without one of them, but the decision cut its core cast mid-season. The firing came within weeks of the industry's wider reckoning over misconduct, when studios were cutting ties on allegations alone, before any charge or verdict.
Why it happened
- A sitcom's chemistry is its product: once the star's name was a risk, the finished episodes already in the can could not protect the season in production.
- Netflix moved in days, before any charge or verdict — and six years later the conviction on two felony counts showed the call was one-way.
- The December 2017 timing made it one of the first major studio cuts of the season's wider reckoning, setting the pattern for how the industry handled similar cases.
The lesson
A series that depends on one actor's chemistry carries his legal risk: the studio cut before the verdict, and the finished episodes of the current season did not protect the one in production.
Aftermath
Masterson was convicted on two felony counts and on 7 September 2023 was sentenced to 30 years to life. The Ranch resumed production in early 2018 without him, as Netflix said it would.
Sources
- Danny Masterson fired from Netflix's The Ranch — USA Today, 5 December 2017
- Danny Masterson fired from Netflix's The Ranch — Global News, 5 December 2017
- Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison — BBC News, 7 September 2023
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