Warning: SPOILERS for Marshals Season 1 Finale - "Wolves At The Door"Marshals sidelined Tate Dutton (Brecken Merrill) for most of season 1, but the answer of how to best utilize Kayce Dutton's (Luke Grimes) son in season 2 was already foreshadowed by season 1's finale. Marshals wrapped up its first season on CBS as a ratings winner after porting the violent Yellowstone universe into a network procedural format.
Marshals season 1's finale wrapped up on a nail-biting cliffhanger, as Kayce's teammates, Pete "Cal" Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green) and Isabel "Belle" Turek-Skinner (Arielle Kebbel), are ambushed by gunmen. Meanwhile, Kayce is blissfully unaware that his friends are in danger as he enjoys an idyllic ride with Dolly Weaver (Ellyn Jameson).
In a climactic twist, Marshals season 1's finale reveals that Thomas Weaver (Chris Mulkey) is the secret mastermind who orchestrated all of the violence that Kayce and the U.S. Marshals have faced. Worse, Weaver takes Tate Dutton with him on his private jet, ostensibly for a bass fishing getaway in Texas. Neither Tate nor Kayce realize that the teenage Dutton is in danger.
Tate Dutton Needs To Work For Thomas Rainwater In Marshals Season 2
Presumably, Tate Dutton will survive whatever ordeal Thomas Weaver has in store for him when Marshals returns for season 2. Since Marshals is set in the Yellowstone universe, it's possible that Tate will be killed off. However, it's hard to imagine that Marshals will destroy Kayce by making him lose his son after his wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), was killed off before the Yellowstone spinoff began.
It's a good bet Tate will again be a recurring character in Marshals season 2, but he needs to be better utilized. Marshals season 1's finale already set up a best-case scenario for Tate: Kayce's son can work for Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and the Broken Rock Reservation. Tate is a Dutton, but he's also a native, and this is his ideal placement in Marshals.
Tate is only 17 and can't join the U.S. Marshals, nor would Kayce put his son in mortal peril (despite the violence Tate has already survived at a young age). With Thomas Rainwater, however, Tate can learn more about Broken Rock's politics, and the needs of the native population. Sharing scenes with Rainwater also gives Tate more TV time than Marshals has afforded him so far.
As part of Thomas Rainwater's organization, Tate can effectively fill the role Monica would have performed if she had been part of Marshals. Tate can best honor his mother's memory and legacy by working for Rainwater, which is something Kayce can't argue with.
Tate is a Dutton, and he already has blood on his hands, including killing an invader at East Camp in Marshals season 1's finale. Tate can learn to be a better fighter from Mo (Mo Brings Plenty). After Kayce sold the Yellowstone to the Broken Rock, Tate lost his inheritance as a Dutton, but the Longspear side of his DNA can be satisfied by serving his people alongside Thomas Rainwater.
Dutton Ranch Treats Carter Far Better Than Marshals Treats Tate
The difference between how Marshals has utilized Tate Dutton compared to the prominence that Carter (Finn Little) has enjoyed in Dutton Ranch is glaring. The discrepancy is even more startling considering Tate is a Dutton, which would presumably make him important. Yellowstone used Tate more and better when he was still a little boy than Marshals does 17-year-old Tate.
In just the first three episodes of Dutton Ranch, Carter has anchored a third of each installment's narrative. Carter has his own storyline separate from Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser). Dutton Ranch has delved into Carter's struggles as a 19-year-old forced to attend high school, and his difficulties adjusting to life in Rio Paloma, Texas compared to Montana.
Carter also has a love interest, Oreana Lynn Jackson (Natalie Alyn Lind), who he has already slept with. In Marshals, Tate has no love interest. Marshals has shown no interest in exploring Tate's life, and he is reduced to a few lines in the occasional episode Tate appears in. Marshals season 1's finale gave Tate the most to do, but now he's a victim in peril who will soon need to be rescued.
Marshals season 2 placing Tate Dutton alongside Thomas Rainwater and Mo would allow Kayce's son to become more mature, more worldly, and more aware. It would tie Kayce to the Broken Rock Reservation even more closely, and Kayce should also have no issues with Tate learning from Thomas, since he trusts Rainwater after they became blood brothers in Yellowstone.
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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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