Kayce Rides Alone: Yellowstone’s Most Loved Cowboy Gets a Spin-Off Surprise—Without Taylor Sheridan

Fans of Yellowstone’s Kayce Dutton were already eyeing Y: Marshals as one of the most intriguing post-finale spin-offs, but now the project has landed an unexpected advantage. Despite being a CBS series, the show will be produced by the streaming side of the newly restructured Paramount — meaning viewers can expect a more cinematic feel than the usual broadcast procedural.

The boost comes in the wake of the Skydance–Paramount merger, which officially closed on August 7 and reorganized the company into two major TV studios. While CBS Studios, led by David Stapf, will focus primarily on network programming, the newly re-formed Paramount TV Studios — headed by Matt Thunell and overseen by Dana Goldberg — will handle the bulk of streaming series.

Y: Marshals, though set to air on CBS, is staying under Paramount TV Studios, the same banner that now houses Taylor Sheridan’s entire Yellowstone empire, Alan Ritchson’s Reacher, and prestige hits like Foundation. That means Kayce’s story will be developed in the same creative ecosystem as 1883, 1923, Tulsa King, and Landman — a far cry from the typical CBS cop show pipeline.

Is Taylor Sheridan Involved With ‘Y: Marshals’?

Still, fans hoping the series would carry Sheridan’s unmistakable touch should temper expectations. While he’s officially credited as an executive producer, Sheridan’s involvement is minimal, with day-to-day creative control in the hands of Spencer Hudnut (SEAL Team), who will write and serve as showrunner. CBS has already given Y: Marshals a 13-episode order for its debut season.

Picking up after Yellowstone’s five-season run, the spin-off follows Luke Grimes’ Kayce Dutton as he leaves the Yellowstone Ranch to join an elite U.S. Marshals unit. The series blends his Navy SEAL background with his cowboy roots as he becomes the last line of defense in Montana’s ongoing war on violence — all while struggling to balance family life, duty, and the mental toll of the job.

“With the Yellowstone Ranch behind him, Dutton joins an elite unit of U.S. Marshals, combining his skills as a cowboy and Navy SEAL to bring range justice to Montana,” the official logline reads.

Sheridan’s absence comes down to bandwidth. His current Paramount commitments include the prequel 1944, a Beth-and-Rip spin-off, The Madison starring Michelle Pfeiffer, and new seasons of Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, Landman, Lioness, and more. “We’re still early in the process. He’s a very busy guy, but we’ll take what we can get,” CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach said.

Y: Marshals will premiere in 2026.