Taylor Sheridan's New Western Action Thriller Is Officially The Biggest Show On TV

Taylor Sheridan‘s latest series has already reached the top of the TV charts.

Sheridan is in an interesting position. Even though he will officially leave for a $1 billion deal with NBCUniversal in January 2029, he can keep focusing on his small-screen work for Paramount until then. That three-year gap is good news for the latter since Sheridan’s shows tend to be some of the biggest on television.

Marshals season 2 on CBS is no exception. The hit Yellowstone spinoff, which is led by Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton, reigned as the entertainment show for the week of October 4, which CBS marked as premiere week. The spinoff nabbed 15.14 million viewers when taking into account both live and delayed seven-day multiple-platform viewing. Along with fellow CBS drama Tracker, which came in at , Marshals was also the biggest show on streaming.

The numbers come from Nielsen, which notes that the early data for Marshals season 2 represents a slight increase when compared to the crowd that tuned in for the season 1 premiere in March. On the whole, however, it’s a clear sign that the Kayce Dutton-focused drama is maintaining its audience as it heads into new episodes and is unlikely to slow down.

• Matthias Clamer/CBS

• CBS

• Fred Hayes/CBS

• CBS

Sheridan is an executive producer on Marshals, though the showrunner and fellow executive producer is Spencer Hudnut, who previously worked on the David Boreanaz military drama SEAL Team. It makes him a good fit for the Kayce-focused continuation, which takes the spotlight away from Dutton Ranch and sees Grimes’ lead character joining a specialized team of U.S. Marshals to protect Montana.

The cast of Marshals brings back several familiar Yellowstone faces, including Brecken Merrill as Tate Dutton, Mo Brings Plenty’s Mo, and Gil Birmingham as Thomas Rainwater. Newcomers to the franchise include Logan Marshall-Green, Arielle Kebbel, Ash Santos, and Tatanka Means. It’s a deliberate blend, with the early episodes of the new installment splitting time between the various problems facing Kayce’s team and his own personal angst, particularly with his young son, Tate.

The angst comes in with the death of Kayce’s wife, Monica, which leaves the pair in an uncertain place in their relationship. That’s especially true with Tate soon turning 18. The surprise decision to kill off Monica, played by Kelsey Asbille, off-screen proved controversial and even deeply unpopular among many Yellowstone fans. But despite the big changes, Marshals has proved to be a breakout right out of the gate.

Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
possible.

                    <a href="/register/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sign in</a> to claim your place
                    on the leaderboard!



                    <a href="/register/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sign in</a> to claim your place
                    on the leaderboard!

Marshals season 1 earned the distinction of being the most-watched TV show earlier this year, even when accounting for streaming originals. In particular, the spinoff edged out Stranger Things season 5 with 30.6 million viewers compared to the Stranger Things average of 26.5 million. It is still early. But based on this early data, Marshals season 2 could come out ahead of its earlier numbers.

It’s the perfect time for viewers to catch up, as well, since the spinoff will go on a small one-week hiatus. It will be back on Sunday, November 8, at its usual time of 8 PM ET. In its place, though, CBS will air the new courtroom drama Cupertino.

Marshals