Yellowstone Spin-Off Dutton Ranch Is Already Succeeding Where Marshals Failed

This post contains spoilers for "Dutton Ranch" Episodes 1 and 2.

Following up "Yellowstone" was never going to be easy, given just how popular Taylor Sheridan's neo-Western series was. But that didn't stop Paramount from trying, and now we have two spin-offs in the form of the Luke Grimes'-led CBS procedural "Marshals" and Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser's "Dutton Ranch." Unfortunately, only one of them is good so far.

The former got off to a rough start when it killed off a controversial "Yellowstone" character in the worst way possible, and things haven't gotten much better since then. "Marshals" clearly has no idea what it's about, and with its debut season drawing to a close, it doesn't seem to be any closer to figuring it out. "Dutton Ranch," however, not only feels like a true sequel to "Yellowstone," it's doing everything "Marshals" has tried to do but better — even after just one episode.

The "Dutton Ranch" premiere is a great opener for the new spin-off, beginning with a gripping sequence that sees Reilly's Beth Dutton and Hauser's Rip Wheeler evacuating from their Montana ranch alongside their son Carter (Finn Little) after a wildfire ignites nearby. Not only are the special effects impressive, the apocalyptic imagery in this opening sequence acts as the perfect way to represent the razing of "Yellowstone" and the establishment of a new adventure. 

"Marshals" just isn't able to match that kind of intensity, with an opening episode that wastes guest star Chad Michael Collins and fails to deliver a single scene as compelling as the wildfire sequence on "Dutton Ranch." Worse still, that's far from the only thing that "Dutton Ranch" has already done better than Grimes' procedural.

Both "Marshals" and "Dutton Ranch" feature former "Yellowstone" characters forging new lives with a teenage son. Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler have their adopted son Carter, and Kayce Dutton has Brecken Merrill's Tate Dutton. But on "Marshals," Tate shows up sporadically and is conspicuously absent for most of the season, even during scenes at Kayce's cabin. After one episode of "Dutton Ranch," however, Carter already has more of a storyline than Tate, struggling to assimilate to his new Texas surroundings before stepping in to break up a fight between a woman and her abusive boyfriend. Why Merrill isn't used more remains unclear, but it not only takes away from the verisimilitude, it reminds us that "Marshals" has way too much going on to properly address Kayce and Tate's relationship.

It's not just the Tate arc that suffers from the lack of focus in "Marshals." Every episode of the CBS series seems to take a new direction without fully pursuing it, whether it's introducing a new love interest for Kayce, grappling with the legacy of the Duttons' misdeeds, or trying to flesh out the new characters' backstories. There's even a moment where a "serial bomber" emerges from the woods for a brief scene before he's forgotten entirely.

All of this means "Marshals" takes far too long to set up its main villain. Episode 3 introduced a powerful Dutton family rival in the form of Michael Cudlitz's Randall Clegg, but we had to wait until Episode 8 to see him again, and even then, he was dispatched far too swiftly. "Dutton Ranch," on the other hand, wastes no time introducing Annette Bening's Beulah Jackson, owner of the 10 Petal Ranch and a powerful adversary to Beth and Rip.

CBS hasn't needed to worry about the quality of "Marshals" thus far. The show has proved so incredibly popular that the network renewed it for Season 2 in the same month Season 1 debuted. But at some point, the quality of the writing will surely become an issue. "Yellowstone" worked so well because Taylor Sheridan balanced his melodrama with more grounded elements, making for a series that was emotionally affecting while still being absolutely off-the-wall nonsensical. The writing was ridiculous at times, but in a fun, over-the-top way. "Marshals," by comparison, is written by a new team overseen by former "SEAL Team" showrunner Spencer Hudnut, and thus far, it seems as though nobody has made an effort to preserve the all important Sheridan voice.

Indeed, within just a few minutes, "Dutton Ranch" proves it understood the assignment in a way that "Marshals" didn't. Snappy lines remind us of the Sheridan magic, such as when Beth asks Rip how close the wildfire is to their location. "Too f****** close, honey," he replies. It's not Pulitzer Prize stuff, but it feels like "Yellowstone."

Perhaps it's merely the procedural format that's holding "Marshals" back. But while one "Marshals" creative felt the first episode was too good to air on network TV, watching it concurrently with "Dutton Ranch" really highlights how far short it falls. With only a couple episodes left in its debut season, it's too late for the CBS series to course correct. But after two episodes, "Dutton Ranch" looks as though it's right on-track.

You can now stream "Dutton Ranch" on Paramount+.