Why Luke Grimes Was Reluctant To Star In The Yellowstone Spin-Off Marshals

When "Yellowstone" was coming to an end, Luke Grimes thought he was done playing Kayce Dutton, the former U.S. Navy SEAL and rancher who becomes the owner of the Yellowstone ranch in season 5. It made sense he would think that: The show was done, and even though there are many spin-offs of "Yellowstone," he hadn't got a call for any of them. When the call finally came for him to star in his own spin-off, "Marshals," Grimes had some concerns.

"His story ended so perfectly. I don't know if we should go back into it," Grimes told EW. "I was very reluctant at first. I'd never heard of anything like this before."

"I was like, 'If you take a poll of who people want to have a spin-off, I don't know if Kayce would be top of that list,'" Grimes continued. "I think there's other characters that they would rather see. So there was a fire under me, like, it has to be good. If it's not good, I'd rather not do it. We tried really hard to make sure that any of the original 'Yellowstone' fans would have something to grasp onto. But if you'd never seen 'Yellowstone,' we wanted this show to make sense on its own as well. I think we accomplished that as much as we possibly could."

In truth, it was the format of this new spin-off that did the trick and convinced Grimes to put on his black hat again. "Marshals" is not a streaming drama, but rather a primetime CBS procedural. But according to showrunner Spencer Hudnut, the series is meant to be a "non-traditional procedural," playing with the format to tell a unique story.

"Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan had a huge 2025, and it seems the good fortune continues in 2026 as the TV franchise keeps growing. Luke Grimes promised "Marshals" is not just a cash grab, but an opportunity to explore what the main show never did.

"I realized we're not just trying to juice a stone and get a paycheck, there really is a story to tell," Grimes continued. "This guy used to be a SEAL, and we never explored that."

It makes sense that "Marshals" would try to differentiate itself from "Yellowstone" by diving deeper into its main character. That's the approach that allowed "Better Call Saul" to surpass "Breaking Bad" and become more than just a spin-off. Changing the storytelling format for "Marshals" is a good start in making sure the show stands out from its predecessors. Considering how many characters and storylines "Yellowstone" had, a more focused show could be interesting. The question now is whether fans care enough about Kayce Dutton to follow a whole show revolving around him. We know "Marshals" will bring back Gil Birmingham's Broken Rock Chairman Thomas Rainwater, Mo Brings Plenty's Mo, and Brecken Merrill's Tate Dutton, but for the most part, this is the Kayce power hour.

At the very least, it seems the show will kick up the level of action. "There was a bit of action here and there in 'Yellowstone,' but this is an action show," Grimes told EW. It remains to be seen if "Yellowstone" fans old and new will flock to the new spin-off, but we'll find out when "Marshals" premieres on March 1, 2026.