
Y: Marshals, the upcoming Kayce Dutton spinoff, will be the first entry in the franchise not written by Sheridan is raising eyebrows—and for good reason. While he’ll still be attached to some degree, the creative reins are being handed off. While that might not sound like a disaster, it does break a creative streak that’s defined the franchise’s success from day one. And if Sheridan isn’t writing Kayce’s next chapter, the question becomes: can the Yellowstone universe survive without its most important voice?
Taylor Sheridan’s Vision for Yellowstone in Unmatched
There’s Something Powerful in the Way that Sheridan Threads his Stories
What Taylor Sheridan did throughout his years of breathing life in Yellowstone is, and was, almost unheard of in the TV industry. The only other time I heard about a writer tackling every script was Julian Fellowes’ work on Downton Abbey. Fellowes crafted every script for every season on his own, which gave the acclaimed series a unique voice and vision. The rhythm and pacing of the dialogue, the character arcs, and the tone of the series remained intact throughout Downton Abbey’s entire run. Fellowes has even written every Downton Abbey film since then, with the final film hitting theaters later this summer.

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The same can be said for Sheridan and his work on Yellowstone. In fact, when Sheridan stepped away during Season 3 and Paramount hired a writer’s room, the actors rioted and Paramount called Sheridan back so that he could rewrite every script for that season. He did so while also directing a film with Angelina Jolie in New Mexico. This is not to say that having a writer’s room is a bad thing, but there is a definite benefit to having one voice and vision for a series, especially one that is so distinct, like Yellowstone. Sheridan’s masterful sense of grit and drama made Yellowstone the successful franchise that it is today. At the end of the day, he created, wrote, and executive produced every episode of Yellowstone,1883, and 1923.
The Kayce Spinoff Takes a Massive Creative Shift
Genre Isn’t the Only New Thing About Y: Marshals
As far as we know, Sheridan will write the series alongside writing the final prequel series (that we know of), 1944. So, it was quite a surprise when Kayce Dutton’s spin-off, Y:Marshals, was announced to also learn that it would not only be a genre shift but also a written one as well. The brand-new spin-off will be a procedural that will follow Kayce as he takes on a new role as a marshal to combat the violence in the Montana region, especially the violence on the reservation. This is going to be a massive tonal shift as it won’t follow a serialized format, and while it’s true that it could be a hybrid, it is going to be a big change for fans of the Yellowstone franchise.

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On top of that, procedural dramas don’t always have the time to dig into the interpersonal relationships and family dynamics, which were both the heart and foundation of Yellowstone. A procedural crime drama will have to focus on the case-of-the-week setup, which may or may not work for the world that Sheridan built. This is not coming from a place of negativity, as I, for one, am very excited to give this series a go, especially as a fan of Yellowstone, but there is genuine concern that the franchise might be spread too thin. Granted Sheridan being an executive producer, alongside Luke Grimes who will reprise his role as Kacey, gives me hope the changes will only be limited to the genre and format.
Can the Yellowstone Franchise Thrive Without Sheridan?
As Long as Sheridan Has Creative Control, It Most Definitely Will
Y:Marshals seems to be in good hands. The new showrunner, Spencer Hudnut, was behind CBS’s extremely popular SEAL Team which starred fan-favorite David Boreanaz. With the new spin-off taking on a more crime procedural direction and tone, Hudnut being at the helm only makes sense. SEAL Team thrived for 7 seasons on CBS, and the idea that the Kayce Dutton led spin-off could see that same success is quite an exciting one. Y:Marshals also got Sheridan and Grimes’ seals of approval as Hudnut approached both of them with the idea.
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This 1 Beth Dutton Line Has Me Even More Excited About the Next Yellowstone Spinoff
Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler are set to return in their own spinoff series–and I’m excited to see how it expands on this line from Yellowstone.
Ultimately, there wouldn’t be a Kayce Dutton if it weren’t for Taylor Sheridan, and his involvement will always be necessary regarding any Yellowstone spin-offs. Not hearing Sheridan’s imprint on the dialogue will be jarring at first, but it’s not something that will make me bail on the spin-off, especially if everything else aligns with what Sheridan has built. There needs to be a sense of respect and value for the foundation that Sheridan built so that a series like Y:Marshals could have legs and gallop.