CBS won’t be without its biggest moneymaker this year, as the network breaks with its own tradition by bringing this series’ second season back to viewers in the same year the first season aired. And while the franchise this show is set in has done this once before, back in 2022, it’s definitely not the norm, as most seasons have ample time between them before returning to air, often leaving fans frustrated with the long wait.
It seems safe for fans to get excited about the next season of Marshals, yet another Yellowstone spinoff airing its second season later this year. The series takes place after the events of Yellowstone, focusing on Kayce Dutton as he joins the U.S. Marshals in an attempt to bring range justice and his unique brand of protection to Montana. Alongside his unit, which is made up of Pete Calvin, Belle Skinner, Andrea Cruz, and Miles Kittle, Kayce struggles to balance his duties of service against his duty to his family.
According to reviews of the first season, the answer is a resounding no: Marshals has garnered a paltry 42% from critics and an even more dismal 26% from casual viewers, with a consensus that the show is just a thin rewrite of any other procedural drama set in a rugged landscape. Critic Josh Rosenberg says, “Kayce’s life is now a kind of TV show that you’ve seen countless times before. It doesn’t have the same artfulness behind it, and the pacing barely leaves time for sweeping shots of the Montana valley or reflection of any kind.” If you’re already a fan of Yellowstone, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that you’d find something to enjoy about Marshals, but it’s seemingly nothing to write home about.
General audiences, however, are struggling to find redeeming qualities in the series. “I want to like it. I liked Kayce’s character a lot, but the rest of the cast here makes it feel like a CSI episode,” said one viewer. Another followed up with, “Yeah, the women characters in particular are written to seem tough, but it just sounds shallow and obnoxious. I find this is the issue with most of the women characters in Sheridan shows.” And while Taylor Sheridan is merely an executive producer on Marshals, the show has his fingerprints all over it, even if it’s unable to live up to the lightning-in-a-bottle moment that was Yellowstone. But there’s always the chance that things will pick up in the second season, which is set to air this fall.
Do you have a favorite moment from Marshals? Let us know in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to see what other fans are saying.
