Taylor Sheridan's 'Yellowstone' Replacement Officially Loses 5 Million Viewers

With an established fanbase, Taylor Sheridan‘s shows are almost guaranteed to be hits. From Yellowstone to Landman and Tulsa King, the writer-director has delivered some of the most-watched shows on Paramount+, with fans in the tens of millions tuning in to see what new topic Sheridan is tackling. Yellowstone made and broke records, becoming one of the most successful shows of the 2010s. After the flagship series ended, two sequels were made and also became popular in their own right. One of those sequels became television’s number one show during its freshman season.

While the series, titled Marshals, didn’t have Sheridan heavily involved, it continued Kayce’s (Luke Grimes) story, and Sheridan played a major role in shaping the character during Yellowstone‘s run. Marshals was the first procedural in the Yellowstone universe and, as a result, got negative reception from critics and fans. It’s the lowest-rated Yellowstone-verse show. Still, fans checked out where showrunner Spencer Hudnut was taking Kayce’s story. The series premiered midseason earlier this year, with the pilot episode attracting 20.6 million viewers.

Like most shows, Marshals saw a slight dip after the premiere, but Nielsen data shows the series averaged 19 million viewers, dethroning Tracker as the number-one broadcast show. The series is back for a second season, which started airing on Sunday, October 4. The ratings for that episode are now out, and Marshals has recorded a drop in viewership compared to the series premiere in February. Recent Nielsen ratings show that 15.14 million people tuned in to the episode in which Kayce rescued Tate (Brecken Merrill) from Tom Weaver and his men. While losing 5 million viewers would be a huge blow to any show, the drop is expected, as it happens with most shows as the season progresses. Ironically, the series still remains the number one show on TV, but the gap with Tracker (13.86 million) is closing. The real problem would be if it keeps losing viewers throughout the season.

The show that claimed the most of your answers is the world you were built for. If two tied, both are shown — you’re complicated enough to straddle two Sheridan universes.

You are a Dutton — or you might as well be. You understand that some things are worth protecting at any cost, and that the modern world’s indifference to history, to land, to legacy, is not something you’re willing to accept quietly. You lead from the front, you carry your family’s weight without complaint, and when someone threatens what’s yours, you don’t escalate — you finish it. You’re not cruel. But you are absolute. In Yellowstone’s world, that combination of ferocity and loyalty doesn’t make you a villain. It makes you the only thing standing between everything that matters and everyone who wants to take it.

You thrive in the chaos of high-stakes negotiation, where the money is enormous, the margins are thin, and the wrong word in the wrong room can cost everyone everything. You’re a fixer — the person called when a situation is already on fire and needs someone with the nerve to walk into it. West Texas oil country rewards exactly what you are: sharp, adaptable, unsentimental, and absolutely clear-eyed about what people want and what they’ll do to get it. You’re not naive enough to think this world is fair. You’re smart enough to be the one deciding who it’s fair to.

You are a Dwight Manfredi — someone who has served their time, paid their dues, and arrived somewhere unexpected with nothing but their reputation and their wits. You adapt without losing yourself. You build loyalty through respect rather than fear, though you’re not above reminding people that the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Tulsa King is for people who are still standing when everyone assumed they’d be finished — who find, in an unfamiliar place, that they’re more capable than the world gave them credit for. You don’t need a throne. You build one, wherever you happen to land.

You carry the weight of a system that is broken by design, and you do it anyway — because someone has to, and because you’re the only one positioned to do it without the whole thing collapsing. Mike McLusky’s world is for people who are comfortable operating where there are no good options, only less catastrophic ones. You speak every language: law enforcement, criminal, political, human. That fluency makes you invaluable and it makes you a target. You’ve made your peace with both. Mayor of Kingstown belongs to people who understand that keeping the peace is not the same as being at peace — and who do the job regardless.

What to Expect in the Next Episode of ‘Marshals’

• Image via Fred Hayes/CBS

• Image via Matthias Clamer/CBS

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Image via Fred Hayes/CBS

Image via Matthias Clamer/CBS

Image via CBS

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Image via CBS

• Image via Fred Hayes/CBS

• Image via Matthias Clamer/CBS

• Image via CBS

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• Image via CBS

Image via Fred Hayes/CBS

Image via Matthias Clamer/CBS

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Image via CBS

The two-parter that started in Marshals Season 2, Episode 4, ends this week when Episode 5, “Secret Weapon,” airs. “After a close call with a suicide bomber, the Marshals hunt for a co-conspirator armed with an even larger explosive. The trail leads them to a suspect’s family whose deep distrust of the government makes getting answers nearly impossible,” reads the episode’s official logline.

Watch Marshals on Sundays on CBS at 8 pm and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Marshals

Kayce Dutton transitions from life on the Yellowstone Ranch to joining an elite unit of U.S. Marshals in Montana. Merging his cowboy heritage and Navy SEAL expertise, he tackles the challenges of balancing family, duty, and the psychological toll of combating regional violence.