Kayce Dutton Embarks On A New Chapter
Marshals expands the Yellowstone universe with a new chapter focused on Kayce Dutton. The series, which premiered Sunday (March 1), follows John Dutton’s son as he makes a decisive change in his life, joining an elite team of U.S. Marshals.
Luke Grimes reprises his role as Kayce and has teased that several familiar faces from Yellowstone will make appearances. The spinoff also added its first new cast member, Logan Marshall-Green, who plays Pete Calvin, a close friend from Kayce’s military past.
In the new series, Kayce steps into a leadership role with a U.S. Marshals team in Montana, and his now-grown son Tate (Brecken Merrill) joins him. The shift comes after Kayce sold the family ranch and chose to start over, following the events of Yellowstone’s series finale, which concluded the Paramount Network drama.
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Marshals Season Premiere Reveals Devastating Loss
Grimes admitted during a recent interview that when he was first approached about returning to that character in Marshals, he wasn’t sure he wanted to do it.
“I didn’t think I wanted to come back to it, because I felt like Kayce’s story ended so perfectly in the first show. And I was like, well, what are we gonna do now? He’s got his dream life,” Grimes explained. “Everything he’s been fighting for, he’s gotten. He literally rode off into the sunset. And what sort of breaks that world open for him is that that dream life became no longer possible.”
We learned in the first episode that Kayce lost his wife, Monica, after battling cancer. The episode later reveals that the illness may have been related to toxins dumped by a mine on the Broken Rock Reservation.
The loss appears to have deeply affected Kayce in a profound way as he admits to how her death has gravely impacted his life, and given him a renewed sense of purpose.
What’s Next For Kayce Dutton?
Series creator Spencer Hudnut opened up a bit on the decision to say goodbye to Monica in Kayce’s new chapter, TV Insider reports.
“Kayce and Monica had such a beautiful ending in Yellowstone so when I first met with Luke, he was like, ‘Kayce’s really happy. Are we going to make a show about a guy who’s really happy?’ We had to shake up his life, to get him off the ranch and into a new position,” Hudnut explained.
Hudnut shared that by highlighting how Monica died was raising awareness on a bigger problem happening in real life.
“We’re shining a light on an issue. She passes because of cancer. Reservations have a high rate of cancer because of all the toxins that have been dumped on them. We wanted to make her death about a bigger issue. We wanted to be very respectful of that character,” he continued.
The creator also said that while Monica may not be physically present on the show, her spirit will continue to live on as Kayce navigates his new normal.
“Her spirit is with Kayce throughout the show,” Hudnut said. He shares that Kayce will continue to return to Monica’s resting place to connect with her, explaining, “It’s a sacred spot.”
As far as Kayce finding new romance on the series, Grimes admits is may happen, but not for “a while.”
“I don’t think it’s outside of the realm of possibility, but not for a while. The audience, Kayce, and me, Luke, the actor, would feel like we were cheating if it happened anytime soon,” Grimes explained. “It would feel very weird to me personally, not even as the character. It’s going to be a long time before that would feel OK.”
Find out what happens to Kayce Dutton this season as Marshals will air every Sunday on CBS at 8 PM, or you can stream the series on Paramount+.