TV Review: ‘Marshals’ Is Not Yellowstone 2.0

Rick Hong shares his thoughts on Marshals, a Yellowstone spin-off series that plays well enough as serialized television, just don't expect another version of Yellowstone.

Rick Hong March 3, 2026

Yellowstone debuted on the barely seen Paramount Network, and its streaming deal was botched, with the series airing on Peacock instead of Paramount+. However, the show became a huge sleeper hit and made Taylor Sheridan the showrunner to get into business with. The spinoffs first came as prequels: 1883, 1923, and, currently in development, 1944. Yellowstone was a modern-day Dallas for those who remember “Who shot J.R.?” Unfortunately, the show could have ended on a real high, except contract negotiations with Kevin Costner broke down and turned the storytelling sideways. The writers had to readjust to his unexpected departure, which meant killing off the character. It was also lackluster for the series as a whole; it felt a bit like the Game of Thrones finale. The series did wrap up storylines for the Dutton family, and we’re all waiting for the Beth and Rip spinoff. One spinoff that I was not expecting was for the character Kayce (Luke Grimes). His character seemed to have a finished story: he was going to live with his family on a plot of land near the ranch and live happily ever after, which leads us to Marshals.

As we open on the series premiere, Kayce and his son, Tate (Breckin Merrill), are mourning the loss of Monica (Kelsey Asbille), who we learn has died of cancer caused by toxins dumped onto the land. There goes Kayce’s plan for a happy ever after, and now he’s a single father. Tate plans to attend a rally for the victims, which also honors his mother. At the rally, we see some familiar faces: Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and Mo (Mo Brings Plenty), from Yellowstone. We’re also introduced to U.S. Marshal Pete Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green), an old teammate of Kayce’s from his time in the Navy SEALs. When a bomb in a backpack explodes at the rally, Kayce is temporarily recruited by Calvin to help since he grew up in the area. Kayce also meets the other marshals: Belle Skinner (Arielle Kebbel), Ash Santos (Andrea Cruz), and Miles Kittle (Tatanka Means). The story unfolds as the team tries to find out whodunit and why, turning the series into a procedural drama and leading to Kayce’s permanent recruitment as a U.S. marshal.

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Marshals has been picked up for 13 episodes and airs on CBS, not on cable or a streaming platform — a first for Taylor Sheridan. The show’s actual showrunner is Spencer Hudnut, who has experience with procedural dramas and most recently worked on SEAL Team, which also aired on CBS.

After watching three episodes, my issue is that when you move to network television and change it from a serialized drama, it loses the heart of why audiences loved Yellowstone and its spinoffs so much. I’ve watched them all, and they’ve all been stellar; this is the first time I’m OK not having the itch to watch week to week. I’d be fine waiting until the entire season drops and then binging to catch up. The upside is that if viewers enjoy network-style storytelling and action, the show is perfectly fine. The addition of this particular cast is also noteworthy. The great thing about a Taylor Sheridan show is that none of the characters are ever wasted; there’s a reason they exist, and they each have their own voice. For as much time as I’ve invested in the Dutton family, whether I watch right away or not, I will be finishing the season to see where they take Kayce’s character.