‘Yellowstone’s Final Season Sets Kayce Dutton on His New ‘Marshals’ Path

On Yellowstone, it took his father’s death and selling the ranch for Kayce to truly fight for what was important to him. Now the CBS series will have to continue with the process. In fact, one of the best things about Yellowstone Season 5B was that Kayce was forced to come into his own, forging a destiny and career path entirely separate from the specter of his father. Leaving the Livestock Commission was certainly a bold step, but it was the way that the character engaged with the changing world around him that really gripped my eye. Easily the season’s most engaging story was that of Kayce’s investigation into his father’s murder. Back when Season 5B was airing, I wrote that Kayce had finally found his true purpose in investigating John’s death, and I firmly believed that to be true.

‘Y: Marshals’ Should Lean Further Into Kayce Dutton’s Investigative Skills

But while we do want to see Kayce’s SEAL side come back out (and would love to see him deal with some of the things he did or experienced overseas), it’s his detective work that ought to come into play most here. Previously, ABC’s Big Sky was the main “Montana procedural” on television, but with that show long gone, it’s up to Y: Marshals to tell compelling weekly mysteries while simultaneously driving a long-form narrative that will compel both those who carried over from Yellowstone and series’ newcomers interested in a new cowboy-driven crime drama. It seems that, in some sense, Y: Marshals wants to echo previous successes like Longmire and Justified. It certainly has that potential, and I’d love to see the show evoke some of the procedural elements of both. It would certainly help the series stand apart from the likes of Yellowstone — and whatever other spin-offs Sheridan has in mind.

‘Y: Marshals’ New Network Format Is Best for Kayce Dutton’s Character Journey

By allowing Kayce Dutton to finally come into his own as a cowboy lawman, Y: Marshals will not only become the neo-Western drama that so many of us wanted Yellowstone to be in the first place (okay, maybe just me, but hey, I’m a major Longmire fan), but it will give Luke Grimes better material to work with. Of course, the show will likely introduce a new cast of characters alongside some Yellowstone favorites, but here’s hoping that, however the ensemble turns out, it still feels very much like the Kayce Dutton show. Maybe a better name for the series would be Marshal Dutton. It certainly has a nice Gunsmoke-inspired ring to it…