Yellowstone Expands its World Further With Y:Marshals

Kayce Dutton Will Take the Spotlight & Lead His Own Story

In Yellowstone Season 2, Dutton’s enemies, the Beck brothers, hire a militia to kidnap Tate from the Dutton ranch. Kayce takes the lead in the rescue mission and showcases his military background. Unfortunately, the series never gave fans a deep exploration of the toll that Kayce’s past had on his mental health. It’s mentioned in passing here and there, but Kayce never had much opportunity to showcase his skills. With Yellowstone ending sooner than planned, there could have been more opportunities in the later seasons for all that to be explored.

With Y:Marshals, however, Kayce becomes the focal point of the story. Embarking on this new chapter as he joins an elite U.S. Marshals unit that is tasked with combating violence in Montana, the series will put everything fans love about Kayce front and center. The series promises to explore the trials and tribulations of law enforcement in the modern American West, which will no doubt feature stories and characters from the Reservation and further Kayce’s struggle of belonging. All these elements would be further elevated if the series takes a page from Sheridan’s neo-Western film from 2017, Winder River.

Wind River is the Blueprint That Y:Marshals Should Follow

Y:Marshals Can be a Very Different Genre & Tone From Yellowstone

Y:Marshals will likely lean into procedural drama elements which already make it quite different from Yellowstone, and that’s not a bad thing. Having a new sub-genre within Yellowstone can only ensure the franchise’s longevity. As long as those new takes and voices stay true to Yellowstone‘s heart, then exploring different avenues shouldn’t be too concerning. Lucky for Y:Marshals Sheridan has the perfect blueprint for it to follow.

Wind River stands as a testament to Sheridan’s ability to intertwine gripping stories with profound social commentary — something he often did in Yellowstone. The neo-Western film follows U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Tracker Cory Lambert, played by Jeremy Renner, and FBI agent Jane Banner, played by Elizabeth Olsen, as they investigate the murder of a young Indian woman on the Winder River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. While in a completely different state, the film’s procedural elements and heavy tone can really help elevate the world of Yellowstone‘s newest spin-off.

Taking lessons from Wind River‘s portrayal of grief, isolation, and the harsh realities of living on the reservation in modern times, Y:Marshals can boldly go where Yellowstone never had the time to go. It can tackle deeper issues and, with its procedural structure, breathe new life into the Yellowstone franchise. If CBS gives it a later time slot, the series can deliver an authentic and unflinching examination of what it means to be the last line of defense in the region’s war on violence.

Y:Marshals Should Explore Stories That Yellowstone Could Not

Using Wind River as a Foundation Can Elevate Y:Marshals as a Series

The storytelling possibilities that lie ahead for Y:Marshals are quite exciting to look forward to. As a fan of Yellowstone and Kayce Dutton’s character arc in particular, the concept of having a Yellowstone series taking a more procedural path is intriguing. Not only can this direction allow the series to tell more authentic and engaging stories revolving around the Indigenous communities in the modern American West, it could also explore Kayce and his family dynamics even further.

Sheridan’s signature will no doubt still be present. He carved out distinct narrative space with stories about the American frontier’s moral and physical landscapes. Much like John Dutton, Sheridan’s characters were always deeply flawed and clung onto fading ideals. Thematically, Sheridan unpacked the political complexities of Modern America with the Dutton family at the center. As long as Y:Marshals builds off of that as it journeys ahead, there’s no reason it shouldn’t succeed.