Luke Grimes shares Yellowstone fans’ enthusiasm, revealing why he was eager to join the spinoff series Y: Marshals, centered on his character Kayce Dutton.
Luke Grimes played the youngest, most emotionally complex male Dutton across all five seasons of Yellowstone, which concluded with Kayce selling the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch to the Broken Rock tribe. Fans were thrilled by Kayce’s happy ending alongside his wife and son, making it truly surprising that Grimes will reprise his role as Kayce in the new CBS spinoff series, Y: Marshals, set to air Sunday nights in Spring 2026.
In an interview with People, Luke Grimes shared his emotions about bidding farewell to Kayce Dutton at Yellowstone’s conclusion, believing it was the end, and explained his decision to return for the spinoff Y: Marshals. Echoing Yellowstone fans’ sentiments, Grimes noted that he, the cast, and “the studio and network definitely didn’t want it to end.” He chose to reprise his role because the spinoff presented “a really compelling idea” for Kayce’s story that he believes “will captivate the audience.” See Grimes’ full quotes below:
Nobody wanted it to be over. I don’t think the fans wanted it to be over. A lot of us actors kind of didn’t want it to be over, and the studio and network certainly didn’t want it to be over…
To try to put that show away, it was hard. It was really hard, and I know this is going to sound weird, but it was sort of emotional. It was like losing a family in a way.
“On the last day of shooting [Yellowstone], I thought it was my last day as Kayce. It was over to me. It was seven years of playing a person that I’ll never see again, except for having his hat and jacket in my closet. It wasn’t until probably three or four months after that that everything started aligning for the [spinoff]… Finally came along a really good idea…
If it was just like, ‘well, he’s happy’ — we’re just going to watch him be happy? That’s not very cool. But I’ll say this, the idea that was pitched to me is very, very good and very interesting and it really roped me in and I think it will rope the audience in as well.
How Kayce’s Y: Marshals Spinoff Will Be Different From Yellowstone
Familiar Faces Return in Y: Marshals
Per the show’s description, “In Y: Marshals, Kayce joins an elite U.S. Marshals team, leveraging his cowboy and Navy SEAL skills to deliver justice in Montana’s rugged terrain. He and his teammates navigate family, duty, and the intense psychological toll of being the region’s final defense against escalating violence.”
While Y: Marshals retains Yellowstone’s signature action and intensity, Kayce’s spinoff introduces a distinct flavor, setting it apart from Taylor Sheridan’s iconic neo-Western series, blending high-stakes missions with personal struggles.
CBS hasn’t confirmed that Kelsey Asbille and Brecken Merrill will return as Kayce’s wife, Monica, and son, Tate, but Grimes says “familiar faces” will appear in Y: Marshals as well as a slew of new characters. Although Kayce “is back to who he really is and his soul” at the end of Yellowstone, Grimes hints at “a new set of circumstances” that sends the heroic Dutton back to action in Y: Marshals.
Y: Marshals Sounds Like It Is And Isn’t Yellowstone
CBS broadcast Yellowstone seasons, edited to meet network TV standards, and Y: Marshals is expected to follow a similar approach, avoiding the extreme intensity of its predecessor. Kayce’s fulfilling conclusion in Yellowstone, where he stepped down as livestock commissioner, raises questions about what motivates his return to action as a U.S. marshal.
Excluding Monica and Tate from Y: Marshals would be illogical, as Kayce’s family remains the emotional core and foundation of his story, just as it was in Yellowstone.
Another Yellowstone spinoff, The Madison, featuring Michelle Pfeiffer, is currently in production and slated to stream on Paramount+.
The original Yellowstone series is expanding into two distinct spinoffs: Y: Marshals on CBS, and a Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler spinoff, set to premiere in November on Paramount+.
After Yellowstone’s conclusion, Kayce and Beth stayed in Montana, making it unlikely that the separate spinoffs on different networks would keep the typically close siblings apart. As the most heroic and admirable Dutton in Yellowstone, Kayce’s return is thrilling, with Luke Grimes embracing a compelling concept for Y: Marshals, prompting him to wear his cowboy hat once more.