How Dutton Ranch Star Kelly Reilly Feels About Monica Dutton's Death In Marshals

What's the best way to start a spin-off from a beloved show? Probably not by killing off a longstanding character in the most unceremonious way possible. But that's what "Yellowstone" spin-off "Marshals" did when it killed Kelsey Asbille's Monica Dutton off-screen prior to Season 1. Now, "Yellowstone" alum and current "Dutton Ranch" star Kelly Reilly has spoken about Monica's death and the fact it wasn't addressed in Season 1 of her own spin-off. As far as the actor sees it, the fact Beth Dutton and her husband Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) didn't check in on Luke Grimes' Kayce Dutton following the death of his wife represented a "missed opportunity."

Asbille's character was with "Yellowstone" from the beginning, providing a grounded energy to a show that frequently went off the rails in hilariously over-the-top ways. For whatever reason, Monica wasn't the most beloved character. But she was an important element in the tight-rope walk Taylor Sheridan pulled off with his neo-Western, which hovered somewhere between striking naturalism and soap opera nonsense. As such, her death prior to the "Marshals" Season 1 debut felt, at best, like an anti-climax and, at worst, like a major insult to a "Yellowstone" veteran.

Reilly stopped short of saying this in her TV Insider interview, but she did talk about how Monica's passing fit into the "Dutton Ranch" timeline. "I think that happened before our show started in a story world," she said. "I imagine Beth and Rip had gone to Monica's [funeral]. There has been some connection, and our story started after that." But that doesn't mean Rip and Beth can't address the loss of Kayce's wife after the fact. According to Reilly, however, the timing didn't allow for such a thing in "Dutton Ranch" Season 1, though that will likely change in Season 2.

"Dutton Ranch" has already been renewed for Season 2, which means we'll be heading back to Rio Paloma, Texas, in the near future. It also means there'll be plenty of opportunities for the series to crossover with "Marshals," whether that's via an official crossover episode or simply in terms of having the characters address what's happening with their relatives. As far as Kelly Reilly is concerned, the fact that didn't happen in "Dutton Ranch" Season 1 represented a missed opportunity. "[Because of] the time thing, we didn't see it in our story," she said, adding:

"But I would absolutely imagine that there'll be some checking in on [Beth Dutton's] brother, and we just didn't see it this year. I think it's something that was a missed opportunity, quite honestly, but we're all both trying to start up these big shows. And I think we can see where there are gaps, and we see where things need to be fixed."

That certainly bodes well for some sort of cross-show synergy in the future. Reilly could easily have played down the possibility of connecting "Marshals" and "Dutton Ranch" by focusing more on how each show is simply trying to establish itself. But referring to a "missed opportunity" and talking positively about Beth and Kayce Dutton reconnecting suggests there's real behind-the-scenes enthusiasm to keep the Dutton clan connected as the spin-offs progress. Whether that will involve addressing the disappointing way in which Monica Dutton was killed off remains unclear, but Reilly certainly seems to be thinking about righting some wrongs.

According to a March 2026 report, Monica Dutton was killed off on "Marshals" to help differentiate the show from "Yellowstone" in a way that would allow Paramount to avoid a potential lawsuit from NBC. The latter owns the "Yellowstone" streaming rights and could sue if Paramount starts streaming a show that's essentially a "Yellowstone" sequel series rather than a spin-off. The report claimed this was a major factor in the decision to kill off Monica.

But that doesn't mean the character's demise couldn't be addressed by Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler in their spin-off. In her TV Insider interview, Kelly Reilly said that "Dutton Ranch" Season 2 presents an opportunity to "go back and go, 'Okay, we can do this one differently. We can make this better. We can take care of that.'" The fact she said this in response to a question about Monica Dutton's death suggests she's thinking about ways to address the character's abrupt departure, possibly via a crossover.

Luckily, with its Season 1 finale, "Dutton Ranch" gave itself the perfect excuse for a "Marshals" crossover, and it seems Reilly is eager to address several things. "I think we already have our list of things in all our individual minds," she told TV Insider. Again, while Reilly's comments seem to be in reference to general aspects of the show that need fine tuning, she was responding to a question about Monica's death and the lack of communication between Beth, Rip, and Kayce. Whatever tweaks are made to "Dutton Ranch" Season 2, then, it appears Kayce's grief and Monica's death could play a part.