Yellowstone is one of the most popular TV franchises, and the universe continues with multiple spinoff series. Marshals was the first sequel, and it already came with a major twist. Marshals brings back Kayce, this time as the lead of the new show. Luke Grimes returns to play him, but his on-screen wife from Yellowstone, Kelsey Asbille’s Monica, doesn’t return, and the spinoff reveals she was killed off-screen. In a new interview with ScreenRant, returning actor Mo Brings Plenty teased Monica’s role in the new series.
Marshals Featured a Major Early Twist
At the end of the flagship neo-Western series Yellowstone, Kayce left the ranch and focused on his family, which included Monica and their son Tate (Brecken Merrill). But, just like in real life, his plans changed when he didn’t get his happy ending.
Fans had questions about Monica when she didn’t show up in any of the promo material for Marshals, and early on, the show revealed that Monica had passed away from cancer caused by toxic pollution on the reservation, and she was killed off-screen. However, according to Mo Brings Plenty, who played Mo in Yellowstone and now in Marshals, her death will influence the show.
Asked about whether Marshals will explore Monica’s story and death further, the actor replied, “I really can’t say a whole lot on that. I’m just thankful that they’re keeping her legacy alive, because she was a warrior, and she made great sacrifices to protect the people, and she was also a great educator.”
Marshals Is a Divisive Show
In the new spinoff sequel, Kayce is a single dad, and he joins an elite unit of U.S. Marshals. Monica’s death continues to have a huge meaning and fuels Kayce’s story, but this wasn’t enough for audiences to connect with. The series debuted on Mar. 1 to mixed reviews, setting a negative record for the franchise. Marshals is halfway through Season 1, and it features an underwhelming 44% approval score from critics out of 18 reviews, and an even lower 30% from audiences.
Despite the negative response, viewers tuned in every week, and Marshals scored a Season 2 renewal only 12 days after its premiere. The network revealed that the pilot was the most-watched broadcast original series premiere that wasn’t related to an NFL lead-in since the debut of The Big Bang Theory spinoff, Young Sheldon, in 2017.
Marshals Season 2 will also break a major Taylor Sheridan trend, as lead star Luke Grimes teased that Season 2 will have a longer episode count than Season 1. While it hasn’t been decided yet, Grimes said, “It’s either going to be 18 or 20. Yeah. They like it.”
Marshals debuts new episodes on Sundays on CBS.
