Marshals: Season One review by Bobby Blakey
When Yellowstone hit the airwaves in 2018 who would have known that it would have been the monster hit it is now. While the main show has ended it has spawned numerous spin-off series on Paramount + including 1883, 1923, and Dutton Ranch. Another spin-off series Marshals took the network approach with Luke Grimes reprising his role as Kayce Dutton along with Gil Birmingham, Mo Brings Plenty, Arielle Kebbel, Ash Santos, Tatanka Means and Logan Marshall-Green. Could this new series bring something new to the Dutton legacy, or will it fail to wrangle the criminals they are hunting?
Marshals follows Kayce Dutton who trades ranch life for a badge, joining an elite U.S. Marshals unit in Montana. Armed with his cowboy grit and Navy SEAL training, Kayce faces cartels, gangs, and violent extremists while balancing family and duty.
I loved the idea of taking Kayce out on his own but wasn’t sure how it would work as a network show since it obviously gets toned down from what we were used to in Yellowstone. Right out the gate there is a major character death off screen that angered a lot of fans, but also is part of the catalyst for this entire series and Kayce’s new journey. I personally felt that it fit the narrative, but also fully expected the show to go in a whole new direction for this style of storytelling.
They have attempted to weave Yellowstone lore throughout the series as it leans into the case of the week format like every other crime drama on network TV. This isn’t a bad thing as it gives the show a different feel to what we have gotten before in the Yellowstone world, but it does water it down on some levels to what fans are used to. At the same time this direction lends itself well to it and manages to work well.
The ensemble cast are fine with each of them becoming more of a focus as the season progresses. They seem to be trying to leave the rest of Yellowstone behind outside of some random appearances and history of things like the “train ride” to keep these elements haunting Kayce’s chance with this new direction, but the focus on the rest of the team keeps it moving into new territory despite not all of it being all that interesting. In regard to the typical cop show it works well and makes for a good jumping on point for people to dive into a new show in the genre without really having to experience Yellowstone thanks to it keeping things pretty simple.
The first season set up the cast of characters, the secrets and drama all laced within some decent action pieces that will no doubt lean into the rest of the cast in the second season. It might not work for those hoping for shows like the more adult themed Paramount+ shows in the lore, but it still does a good job at feeding the history of this character in a way that could last for multiple seasons if it is handled correctly.
This collection brings all 13 episodes home and while it doesn’t boast any bonus content will no doubt be a must have for fans of the franchise. Hit the trail to follow Kayce Dutton in his new chapter when Marshals: Season One comes to Blu-ray and DVD on August 25th from Paramount Home Entertainment and Alliance Entertainment.