Yellowstone spin-off Marshals breaks a “most-watched” record for broadcaster

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The new show Marshals, a spin-off of the popular series Yellowstone, launched last week and quickly became a success. The first episode brought in record viewership for the network.

This season, Luke Grimes’s character, Kayce Dutton, takes center stage. The story follows him as he becomes part of a special team of US Marshals dedicated to safeguarding the state of Montana.

The series, created by Spencer Hudnut, is available on Paramount+ in the UK. However, in the US, it’s shown on CBS. The show has clearly resonated with viewers in both countries.

The show’s first episode, which aired on March 1st, drew 9.52 million viewers – the highest number for a new scripted series on the network since the premiere of FBI in 2018, excluding broadcasts that followed a football game.

Although the show has been popular with viewers, critics haven’t been as impressed. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a mixed rating of 47% based on 15 reviews, and the audience score is even lower at 39%.

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show relies too heavily on the character of Dutton, hindering Kayce’s development and the overall narrative. The Daily Beast described it as lacking in originality and risk-taking.

According to Variety, Marshals doesn’t have the over-the-top style typically seen in Taylor Sheridan’s work. Instead, it’s a more understated and stable approach to broadening the reach of Yellowstone, building on the show’s existing popularity with a wider audience.

If you’ve seen the first episode, you know there was a big surprise. If you don’t want to hear about it, stop reading now – spoilers ahead!

Viewers learned that Kayce’s wife, Monica (played by Kelsey Asbille), had died before the new spin-off began, and show creator David Grimes explained why they made that surprising choice.

The actor explained that Kayce’s ending, where he simply rode off into the sunset, felt unrealistic. “We can’t just let him have a perfect life,” they said. “There needs to be some conflict to create drama.”

Marshals streams on Paramount+ in the UK.

Read more Yellowstone news on our dedicated homepage

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2026-03-09 14:49