Luke Grimes, the 42-year-old actor who became a household name playing the brooding cowboy Kayce Dutton on Taylor Sheridan's hit series Yellowstone, is embarking on a new television journey that initially gave him pause. The upcoming spinoff, titled Marshals, represents a significant shift from the serialized prestige television that made him famous to a more traditional case-of-the-week procedural format.
When the concept was first pitched to him during the filming of Yellowstone's final season, Grimes admits he wasn't immediately sold. "It sounded to me like a crazy idea, because that's not at all what Yellowstone was," the actor recalled during a recent interview in Toronto. His hesitation stemmed from long-held perceptions about procedural television that many in the industry share.
For years, procedurals have occupied a lower rung in the television hierarchy, often dismissed as comfort-food entertainment for casual viewers rather than serious artistic endeavors. Grimes candidly shared his own biases, noting that procedurals were "always sort of low on the totem pole – you know, it's something my mom and her friends like." This sentiment reflects a broader industry prejudice that has historically favored complex, serialized storytelling over self-contained weekly episodes.
However, the television landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years. Streaming services, which initially built their brands around high-budget, ambitious prestige projects designed to attract subscribers, discovered something unexpected: their libraries of acquired procedural shows were performing just as well, if not better, than their original premium content. This revelation sparked a resurgence in the format's credibility and commercial viability.
The success of lawyer, doctor, and police procedurals on streaming platforms has forced a reevaluation of what constitutes quality television. Networks and platforms now recognize that the episodic structure offers distinct advantages, including easier entry points for new viewers and greater rewatch value. This shift has blurred the lines between prestige and procedural, creating opportunities for hybrid approaches.
Convincing Grimes to reprise his role as Kayce Dutton in this new context fell to Marshals showrunner Spencer Hudnut, who previously helmed the military action series SEAL Team. Hudnut understood the actor's concerns and crafted a detailed pitch that addressed them directly. He outlined a compelling narrative path that would naturally lead Kayce from the ranch to working with the U.S. Marshals in Montana, protecting both reservation and non-reservation communities that had been central to his character's journey.
Crucially, Hudnut promised that Marshals wouldn't be a typical procedural where every case wraps up neatly by the episode's end. Instead, he assured Grimes that the series would incorporate longer character arcs and ongoing storylines, creating a hybrid format that honors both Yellowstone's legacy and the procedural structure. This approach would allow Kayce's complex relationship with his Native American wife Monica and their connection to the Broken Rock Reservation to continue evolving.
The pitch worked. Grimes came to see that the old hierarchies no longer apply in today's fragmented media environment. "There's no pecking order any more," he reflected. "There can be good work or bad work in any format at this point." This represents a significant evolution in thinking for an actor who grew up admiring film and prestige television.
The transition from Yellowstone to Marshals also highlights the challenges of moving a beloved character from one genre to another. Kayce Dutton was a fan favorite, with his internal conflicts and family loyalty forming the emotional core of Yellowstone. His marriage to Monica and their efforts to bridge two worlds provided some of the show's most poignant moments and ultimately contributed to its land-back conclusion.
Taking such a richly developed character into a procedural format risks diluting what made him special. The joke "Sally Draper, Attorney-at-Law" captures this fear perfectly – the idea that forcing a complex character into a formulaic structure could feel like a creative step down. Yet Grimes and Hudnut are betting that the character's depth and the show's Montana setting will distinguish Marshals from typical network fare.
The actor's journey from skeptic to believer mirrors the broader industry's reassessment of procedural television. What was once considered television for passive viewers has proven its durability and artistic potential. The format's resurgence suggests that audiences crave both the satisfaction of resolved stories and the depth of ongoing character development.
For Grimes, the decision ultimately came down to trusting the creative team and recognizing that storytelling quality isn't determined by format. The opportunity to continue exploring Kayce's identity as someone caught between worlds – rancher, veteran, husband, father, and now lawman – offered creative possibilities that transcended genre conventions.
Marshals premieres on CBS and Paramount+ this Sunday, marking a new chapter for both the character and the actor. It represents a gamble that viewers who followed Kayce through Yellowstone's five seasons will embrace this evolution, and that procedural skeptics might discover the format has more to offer than they assumed.
The show's success could further erode the remaining barriers between prestige and procedural television, encouraging more hybrid approaches that combine the best of both worlds. As streaming services continue to prioritize content with long-term value, the episodic structure of procedurals, when combined with serialized elements, may become the new standard.
Luke Grimes' willingness to take this leap reflects a mature understanding of modern television's realities. In an era where the lines between film, prestige TV, and network procedurals have blurred, the only thing that matters is the quality of the storytelling. Whether viewers tune in for the case-of-the-week format or to follow Kayce Dutton's continued journey, they'll be witnessing an important evolution in how television gets made and what audiences value.
The actor's transformation from procedural skeptic to advocate serves as a microcosm of the industry at large. As Marshals prepares to ride onto screens, it carries with it the potential to redefine not just one character's story, but the entire perception of what procedural television can achieve.