Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone expansion plan has worked brilliantly, even if the flagship series' fandom has issues with Marshals. After five seasons as one of the biggest shows on television, Yellowstone wrapped up at the end of 2024. Yellowstone concluded without series lead Kevin Costner, who exited halfway through the fifth and final season.
During Yellowstone's ratings dominance on Paramount Network, which also included a run on CBS, Taylor Sheridan opened up the Duttons' family history with a pair of prequels. 1883 told the story of how the Dutton family came to Montana and took possession of the Yellowstone's land. 1923 picked up the Duttons' saga during the Prohibition era.
1883 and 1923 were successes critically and with audiences, powered by Taylor Sheridan's ability to cast A-list actors like Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, Timothy Dalton, Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill. However, there were understandably concerns about how the Duttons' story would fare once it moved past the end of Yellowstone, and without the anchor character of Kevin Costner's John Dutton.
Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone Expansion Created 2 New Hit Shows
Taylor Sheridan's expansion of Yellowstone with the sequel spinoffs, Marshals and Dutton Ranch, has been an unqualified success. The ratings are stellar: Per TV Insider, Marshals is the most-watched new broadcast show on TV in 2026; its first 8 episodes averaged 20 million multiplatform viewers. Dutton Ranch scored the biggest debut in Paramount+ history, with 12.9 million viewers watching its May 15 premiere.
Audiences can't get enough of the Duttons, and have followed Kayce (Luke Grimes), Beth (Kelly Reilly), and Rip (Cole Hauser) in their new adventures after they sold off the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. Kayce's Marshals keeps the heroic cowboy in Montana to fight crime with the U.S. Marshals, while Beth and Rip are forging a new life in Rio Paloma, Texas.
Taylor Sheridan is executive producer of Marshals and Dutton Ranch, but he's not the day-to-day, hands-on driving force that he was on Yellowstone. Spencer Hudnut (SWAT) is Marshals' creator and showrunner, while Chad Feehan (Ray Donovan) created Dutton Ranch and was season 1's showrunner before he was fired. It's unknown who would take over as Dutton Ranch season 2's head writer.
While Marshals and Dutton Ranch are recognizably Yellowstone with their familiar characters and iconography, both series do new things with Taylor Sheridan's neo-Western formula. As a CBS procedural, Marshals is the bigger departure. Dutton Ranch feels more like a true Yellowstone sequel, but with more well-developed female lead characters and less reliance on Sheridan's ultraviolence.
Different Kinds Of Yellowstone Shows Are Good For Taylor Sheridan's Franchise
Marshals transplanted the Yellowstone formula to CBS's tried-and-true network procedural format, but not without controversy. Marshals is sour on Rotten Tomatoes, rated Rotten at 45% with critics and an even more abysmal 27% audience score. Despite this, however, Marshals' ratings tell a different story, and Kayce's spinoff has a sizable viewership on broadcast and streaming.
CBS is the TV's most-watched network. This means Marshals, which also streams on Paramount+, nets more overall eyeballs than Dutton Ranch. Procedurals are also one of the most popular network formats, and franchises like CSI and Law & Order have endured for decades. Potentially, Kayce's Marshals could outlive Beth's Dutton Ranch by many years and seasons.
Although Yellowstone devotees understandably have issues with how Marshals radically differs from the tone and style of the flagship show and Dutton Ranch, variety is good for the franchise. Two identical and concurrently airing Yellowstone spinoffs could dilute the brand. Marshals is a different flavor of Yellowstone that is, evidently, finding its own audience and expanding Yellowstone's reach.
Yet Marshals and Dutton Ranch still feel like Yellowstone at their cores. Dutton Ranch, especially, has been able to impart Taylor Sheridan's voice while doing different things with Beth, Rip, and Carter (Finn Little). While I personally enjoy Dutton Ranch much more than Marshals, Kayce has proven to be quite suited to CBS's mission-of-the-week format.
Yellowstone feels like a franchise that has found a new life and is looking forward to a bright future. Audiences have proven to be behind Kayce's Marshals and Beth and Rip's Dutton Ranch. Even the non-Yellowstone but Montana-set The Madison evokes Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone magic and found huge ratings success.
Rather than break the Yellowstone franchise, Marshals and Dutton Ranch are proving that the future of Taylor Sheridan's neo-Western universe looks as unlimited as the brilliantly big skies of Montana and Texas.
CBS Sets Fall Dates for ‘Marshals,’ ‘Survivor’ and More
CBS has set its fall premiere dates, and as has been the case for the past few seasons, most of the network’s lineup will launch in early October.
Reality staples Survivor and The Amazing Race will debut a bit earlier, as will 60 Minutes. But all of CBS’ scripted series are set to premiere over six days starting Oct. 4. Marshals and Tracker — the two most watched shows on network TV last season, excluding live sports — are up first that night, remaining in the Sunday night spots they occupied last season.
FBI and CIA follow on Oct. 5, with each show moving up an hour (to 8 and 9 p.m. ET/PT) from their spots last season as CBS eliminated its Monday comedy block for 2026-27. True crime show Harlan Coben’s Final Twist follows at 10 p.m.
An all-NCIS lineup remains on Tuesday nights starting Oct. 6, with newcomer NCIS: New York sandwiched between the flagship series and prequel NCIS: Origins. CBS’ two other new fall series, comedy Eternally Yours and drama Cupertino, premiere Oct. 8 along with Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage and Elsbeth. Ghosts and Matlock are set for midseason premieres, but a pair of Ghosts specials will air on Oct. 29 and Dec. 10 tied to Halloween and Christmas. The Friday lineup of Sheriff Country, Fire Country and Boston Blue debuts Oct. 9.
CBS’ fall premiere dates are below. All times are ET/PT unless noted, and new shows are marked with an asterisk.
Sunday, Sept. 13
7:30 p.m.: 60 Minutes (approximate; follows NFL doubleheader)
Wednesday, Sept. 23
8 p.m.: Survivor
Wednesday, Sept. 30
9:30 p.m.: The Amazing Race
Sunday, Oct. 4
8:30 p.m.: Marshals (approximate; follows NFL doubleheader and 60 Minutes)
9:30 p.m.: Tracker
Monday, Oct. 5
8 p.m.: FBI
9 p.m.: CIA
10 p.m.: Harlan Coben’s Final Twist
Tuesday, Oct. 6
8 p.m.: NCIS
9 p.m.: NCIS: New York*
10 p.m.: NCIS: Origins
Thursday, Oct. 8
8 p.m.: Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage
8:30 p.m.: Eternally Yours*
9 p.m.: Elsbeth
10 p.m.: Cupertino*
Friday, Oct. 9
8 p.m.: Sheriff Country
9 p.m.: Fire Country
10 p.m.: Boston Blue
Saturday, Oct. 10
10 p.m.: 48 Hours
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