CBS Renews MARSHALS for Season 2 After Huge Debut in the Yellowstone Universe
CBS isn’t wasting time locking in more stories from the Yellowstone world. The network has officially renewed Marshals for Season 2 after only two episodes aired, giving fans more time with Kayce Dutton and his new life chasing criminals across Montana.
Early renewals like this almost never happen at CBS, especially just two weeks into a series run. But the network clearly likes what it sees from the newest expansion of the Yellowstone universe, and the ratings explain why.
The show stars Luke Grimes, reprising his role as Kayce Dutton, the son of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton. After the events of Yellowstone, Kayce stays in Montana and is convinced to join an elite team of U.S. Marshals led by his longtime friend Pete Calvin, played by Logan Marshall-Green.
The series follows this tactical group as they hunt down fugitives across rugged country. Alongside Kayce and Pete are Belle Skinner, played by Arielle Kebbel, Andrea Cruz, played by Ash Santos, and Miles Kittle, played by Tatanka Means.
The first episode throws the team into action as they track dangerous criminals hiding deep within ranch territory.
There are also a few other familiar faces as Brecken Merrill returns as Kayce’s son Tate, while Gil Birmingham reprises his role as Thomas Rainwater and Mo Brings Plenty returns as Mo. The premiere also revealed that Kayce’s wife Monica Dutton, played by Kelsey Asbille, died sometime between the end of Yellowstone and the start of Marshals.
The audience response has been massive right out of the gate. According to Nielsen’s live+same day ratings, the premiere drew 9.52 million viewers, making it the biggest new series launch of the 2025–2026 broadcast season.
When delayed viewing and streaming were added, that number grew to 20.6 million multiplatform viewers in the first seven days after its March 1 debut.
It also made history for CBS as the most watched network original series premiere without a football lead-in since Young Sheldon debuted in 2017, which itself was a spinoff of The Big Bang Theory.
CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach celebrated the show’s success in a statement.
“Marshals delivered a breakout performance, capturing a massive audience across platforms and quickly establishing itself as one of TV’s most powerful new series.
“The overwhelming viewer response speaks to the strength of the Yellowstone world, the bold character driven storytelling from the creative team and the dynamic cast performances led by Luke Grimes.”
The series was created by Spencer Hudnut, who previously served as showrunner on CBS’ SEAL Team. Hudnut also executive produces alongside Grimes, Taylor Sheridan, David Glasser, John Linson, Art Linson, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin, Bob Yari, Michael Freidman, and Greg Yaitanes. The show is produced by Paramount Television Studios and 101 Studios.
The quick renewal also signals that CBS intends to stay connected to the Sheridan storytelling universe. Sheridan signed an overall deal with NBCUniversal that will begin in 2029 on the television side, but he still has multiple projects under the Paramount umbrella for now.
Those include The Madison, which premieres on Paramount+ on March 14, and another Yellowstone spinoff titled The Dutton Ranch starring Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, with Annette Bening and Ed Harris joining the cast.
Are you happy to see that Marshals has been renewed for a second season?