CBS' Marshals Season 2 Is Making 1 Big Change For Yellowstone Character

Matthias Clamer/CBS Published Oct 9, 2026, 3:31 PM EDT Grant Hermanns is a TV News Editor, Interview Host and Reviewer for ScreenRant, having joined the team in early 2021. He got his start in the industry with Moviepilot, followed by working at ComingSoon.net. When not indulging in his love of film/TV, Grant is making his way through his gaming backlog and exploring the world of Dungeons & Dragons with friends. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Marshals season 2, episode 1, "All Hat No Cattle"!While Marshals season 2's premiere ended with things back on an even keel for its cast, one particular Yellowstone character will be undergoing some major changes. Picking up immediately from season 1's ending, the CBS series returned with a bang as Luke Grimes' Kayce Dutton raced to save his son, Brecken Merrill's Tate, from greedy landowner Tom Weaver, while also finding his burgeoning connection with Weaver's daughter, Dolly, tested. All the while, Kayce's teammates investigate the shooters who attacked Logan Marshall-Green's Cal and Arielle Kebbell's Belle in the Marshals season 1 ending, which puts them on the same path to confronting Weaver, ending with his arrest, and the death of Dolly. But while the Dutton family and the rest of the team may initially be safe, Marshals season 2 will still find one of its characters going through a particularly challenging journey in Cal, who was revealed partway through season 1 to be diagnosed with a Pancoast tumor. Going into the rest of the Yellowstone spinoff's new season, the team leader will not only have to determine who else to share the information with apart from Belle, as the pair finally begin developing their relationship, but also reflect on what his life might look like without the job. Ahead of the show's return, ScreenRant's Grant Hermanns interviewed Spencer Hudnut and Logan Marshall-Green to discuss Marshals season 2. When asked about how Cal's arc is going to evolve in the new season, the showrunner began by teasing that the writers room "didn't shy away from adding things onto Cal's shoulders" both in the first and second seasons, with the Yellowstone spinoff character having to balance "running that team" with "integrating Kayce Dutton into a team environment" and "trying to reconcile with his daughter": Spencer Hudnut: So, he's certainly a guy who does well, and is used to handling adversity. He's going to deal with a lot more adversity this season. But I think it's really, you know, coming into this show, Cal is someone who talked about how the badge has been his salvation. He didn't have a lot outside of the job in his life, and so as season 1 developed, we got to see him grow closer to Belle. Obviously, his relationship with Kayce evolved. They worked through their big hurdle in their relationship when we got to unpack what went on back in Afghanistan, and then Cal moved to Montana, not to become a marshal, but to have a chance of reconciling with his daughter. With Marshals season 1 ending with Cal and Maddie finally gaining ground in rebuilding their relationship, along with his and Belle's potential new relationship, Hudnut teases that season 2 will see "the world around him [having] gotten bigger." But while that may come with some promising new developments for Marshall-Green's character, the Yellowstone spinoff showrunner cautions that it "means there's a lot more for him to possibly lose": Spencer Hudnut: So, I think watching Cal deal with the struggles that come with his illness, how is he going to balance that? How is a guy who doesn't like to share things with people, who thinks he can carry all challenges by himself — we're going to put him through the test, and I think the goal is to maybe see if he can broaden his horizons a little bit, and realize that there's more to life than just the job and just the badge, and see what that does to him. Gilles Mingasson/CBS Asked specifically about Cal's health diagnosis going into this season, Marshall-Green confirmed that Marshals season 2 will be "a journey of having cancer," albeit acknowledges that with "each journey [being] different," his character won't "go through the more extreme versions" of those living with cancer. Even still, Cal has "a malignant tumor in his lung" with his Pancoast tumor diagnosis, something that "happens to a lot of soldiers who were around these burn pits" like the character was during his time in Afghanistan. For Marshall-Green, he felt it was important that in Marshals season 2, the creative team were "still earning everything" when it came to both Cal's efforts to fight his cancer, and getting audiences to invest in his journey this season: Logan Marshall-Green: So each step — the doctor's visits, to where they are talking about real enemies that he can't beat, to chemo treatments, and to a surgery to have this thing removed — which we haven't gotten to yet, so I still couldn't even tell you, and there's lots that is still very much in flux with him in the cancer. Because he has this cancer, he has to figure out how to dole this information to the people around him, and that also has stakes in it. So, we're going to look at that and how it affects his job, and he's going to be humbled by this thing, and I think that's the best for the narrative. Cal's Relationships Are Going To Start To Explode In Season 2 ScreenRant: I'm thrilled about season 2 so far. They gave me the first three episodes, and I'm already so intrigued, especially with all the character work that's going on for Cal and Belle, Cal and Miles, everybody has some really juicy stuff so far. To start with, when we last spoke, it was the season 1 finale, and you were already getting ready for season 2's production. What a whirlwind turnaround! How are you feeling now that production's well underway and the season's about to come out? Logan Marshall-Green: Yeah, it's a trip because it just feels like it's one big season. We had a little hiatus, but the whole team's back, crew and cast, so, it's just been like a massive season that we've been shooting, and like you just said, you saw the first three episodes. I haven't seen anything. I actually haven't even seen the first season, but I certainly can't even remember what the second and third episodes of this season were. [Chuckles] I was like, "Wait, it feels like a year ago," but it was really only a few months ago. ScreenRant: So, in talking about not even necessarily remembering things from season 1, I was kind of curious, with that quick turnaround, did you find that there were any lessons that you remembered from season 1, or little things you took away from your time in season 1 that you wanted to maybe sort of amplify with Cal going into season 2? Logan Marshall-Green: I think I knew what to expect, because the workload is insane. What we're able to pull off, I don't really understand how it's done. But it was just stretching and making sure I was hitting the gym, and getting into the shape needed to pull off 60–70 hour weeks. We shoot everything within seven days, six days sometimes, so it's a gauntlet, to be completely honest. It was more just getting my constitution ready. ScreenRant: I remember having a conversation with Shemar Moore not too long ago about SWAT, where he was like, "Yeah, we would do four days of action, four days of talking, and I had to be in shape for the action more than anything." Logan Marshall-Green: [Chuckles] Yeah, the action part, no problem. I love it, it's great. The talking part is a lot, especially for my character. So, I prefer location over studio any day. ScreenRant: I love that you mentioned the doling out information, because that was one of the immediate dynamics I wanted to turn to was Cal and Miles. Obviously, he's benched Miles for both Miles' actions, but also maybe as a little get back for dating Maddie. But at the same time, in season 2, we see Cal starting to try and be a little more vulnerable, but he doesn't want Miles to tell Maddie about the diagnosis. What can you tease about how that dynamic is going to evolve between Miles and Cal this season? Logan Marshall-Green: Well, it's gonna explode things, in a sense. The triangle relationship between Miles and Maddie and Cal, it's gonna test it. But what you just said, the vulnerability is really gonna be something that we're going to look at, and he's going to have to rely on one of the other team leaders on the team. The team is made up of team leaders. That's how SEALs work, and how they view it. We'll see what happens, but I think the biggest thing is how he moves through life, which is a little bit of a softer step, not carrying such a weighted bat. The Sheridan-verse · Ranch Assessment Taylor Sheridan Trivia Challenge 🏠 Yellowstone Protect the ranch 🐴 1883 The Oregon Trail 🌾 1923 Drought & dust 🔒 Kingstown Prison politics 🎼 Tulsa King Made man, new town SADDLE UP → 01 The Dutton family has controlled the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States for over a century. In which state is the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch located? A Wyoming B Montana C Idaho D Colorado ✓ Correct! The Yellowstone Dutton Ranch sits near the border of Yellowstone National Park in Montana. The show is filmed primarily in Montana, with the real-life Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby serving as the Dutton homestead. ✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Montana. The Dutton Ranch borders Yellowstone National Park in Big Sky Country. While the rugged landscape could pass for Wyoming or Idaho, the show is set — and largely filmed — in Montana. NEXT → 02 John Dutton is the iron-willed patriarch who will stop at nothing to protect his family’s land. Which Oscar-winning actor portrayed him for the first four seasons of Yellowstone? A Sam Elliott B Josh Brolin C Kevin Costner D Kurt Russell ✓ Correct! Kevin Costner brought gravitas and quiet intensity to John Dutton, anchoring Yellowstone as one of the most-watched shows on cable television. His departure ahead of Season 5B became one of the biggest stories in TV. ✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Kevin Costner. While Sam Elliott did appear in 1883, Josh Brolin has his own Sheridan series (Outer Range isn’t Sheridan’s), and Kurt Russell hasn’t joined the Sheridan-verse. Costner defined John Dutton. NEXT → 03 In the prequel series 1883, a Civil War veteran leads his family on a brutal wagon-train journey from Texas to Montana to find a new home. What is the name of this original Dutton patriarch? A James Dutton B Jacob Dutton C John Dutton Sr. D Emmett Dutton ✓ Correct! James Dutton, played by Tim McGraw, is the Civil War veteran who leads his wife Margaret and their children on the perilous journey west. His daughter Elsa narrates the series, and the family’s arrival in Montana establishes the Yellowstone Ranch. ✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is James Dutton. Jacob Dutton is the character Harrison Ford plays in 1923 — James’s brother. John Dutton Sr. doesn’t appear until later generations, and Emmett Dutton doesn’t exist in the Sheridan-verse. NEXT → 04 On the Dutton Ranch, certain cowboys receive a permanent mark of loyalty — a hot-iron brand seared into their skin that signifies a blood oath to the ranch. What symbol is this feared brand? A A “D” inside a circle B A horseshoe C A skull and crossbones D The letter “Y” ✓ Correct! The branded “Y” is the Yellowstone Ranch’s livestock mark, but for ranch hands, wearing it on their chest means a lifelong oath of silence and loyalty. “Taking someone to the train station” is what happens to those who betray it. ✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is the letter “Y” — for Yellowstone. The brand is both a ranch identifier and a mark of absolute loyalty. Characters like Rip, Kayce, and Jimmy all bear the “Y” brand, signifying they’ve sworn their lives to the ranch. NEXT → 05 In 1923, the Dutton family battles drought, Prohibition, and encroaching modernity during the Great Depression era. Which legendary Hollywood actor plays patriarch Jacob Dutton? A Robert Redford B Harrison Ford C Clint Eastwood D Tommy Lee Jones ✓ Correct! Harrison Ford stars as Jacob Dutton alongside Helen Mirren as his wife Cara. Ford’s casting marked his first major television role and brought massive star power to the expanding Sheridan-verse. The series is set during Prohibition and the early Depression. ✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Harrison Ford. In his first major TV role, Ford plays Jacob Dutton, brother of James Dutton from 1883. Helen Mirren stars opposite him as Cara Dutton. Their star power helped make 1923 Paramount+’s biggest premiere. NEXT → 06 Beth Dutton’s volatile love story with a tough ranch foreman is one of Yellowstone’s most beloved storylines. The two eventually marry in a surprise ceremony. Who is Beth’s husband? A Lloyd Pierce B Walker C Rip Wheeler D Jimmy Hurdstrom ✓ Correct! Rip Wheeler, played by Cole Hauser, is John Dutton’s most loyal enforcer and Beth’s husband. Taken in by John as a teenager after a traumatic past, Rip would do anything for the Dutton family — and his fierce devotion to Beth became a fan-favorite romance. ✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Rip Wheeler. Lloyd Pierce is the bunkhouse elder, Walker is a ranch hand and musician, and Jimmy Hurdstrom is the hapless cowboy who eventually gets sent to the 6666 Ranch in Texas. Only Rip won Beth’s wild heart. NEXT → 07 In Mayor of Kingstown, a family serves as power brokers in a Michigan town where the prison industry is the only business. Which family navigates this dark world of incarceration and corruption? A The McLusky family B The Reilly family C The Kingsley family D The Dutton family ✓ Correct! The McLusky family, led by Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner), acts as unofficial mediators between prisoners, gangs, police, and politicians in Kingstown, Michigan. The show is one of Sheridan’s grittiest explorations of the American justice system. ✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is the McLusky family. Jeremy Renner stars as Mike McLusky, who inherits the role of “mayor” — an unofficial power broker between inmates, gangs, and law enforcement. The Duttons are Yellowstone’s dynasty, not Kingstown’s. NEXT → 08 One Dutton sibling is an adopted son and ambitious lawyer who frequently clashes with his family — sometimes even conspiring against them. His complex loyalty drives much of the show’s drama. Who is he? A Kayce Dutton B Lee Dutton C Tate Dutton D Jamie Dutton ✓ Correct! Jamie Dutton, played by Wes Bentley, is the adopted son and Harvard-educated lawyer whose desperate need for his father’s approval and political ambition create some of Yellowstone’s most dramatic betrayals. His rivalry with Beth is legendary. ✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Jamie Dutton. Kayce is John’s biological youngest son (a former Navy SEAL), Lee is the eldest son who dies in Season 1, and Tate is Kayce’s young son. Only Jamie is the adopted lawyer who conspires against the family. REVEAL MY SCORE → Round-Up Complete Your Ranch Record / 8 Are you a ranch foreman — or headed straight to the train station? ↻ RIDE AGAIN ScreenRant: Mentioning the other team leaders, obviously Belle and Cal started to find something at the end of season 1. In season 2, she's one of the ones who's encouraging him to be more open, but at the same time, without giving too much away, she has some of her own family drama that's sort of holding them back. What can you share about how that relationship's going to evolve as we go through this season? Logan Marshall-Green: Well, it's going to ebb and flow. She has her own stuff going on, and they're definitely going to walk a tightrope. But you can only walk a tightrope for so long. You've got to get off it, you gotta fall, and they're not gonna stay on the tightrope between work and personal life for long. They're gonna have to deal and let go, and we'll see what happens. I probably should let Arielle [Kebbel] talk about her side of that, and her secrets and her personal life. ScreenRant: Well, another explosive element that we get right away in the premiere is Kayce, of course, racing to save Tate, but leaving the team out of it. Kayce and Cal went through so much in season 1, especially as they confronted their past, that even though Cal is able to work out why Kayce's sort of leaving him out, I still wonder if there's maybe a sense of an underlying sense of betrayal or frustration on Cal's part of being left out of this big mission to save someone so close to Kayce? Logan Marshall-Green: No, I don't think so at all. I don't think that's anything I played with. More, it was putting together what is going on, because he's gonna worry about being left out. [It's more about] "What are the reasons why, and what is actually he being left out of?" So, he's more got his nose to the grind about how to fix this for Kayce. I don't think he's holding on to anything. ScreenRant: Okay, that's good. You never know with shows like this, one moment, they could be, "No, we're good. We got you." Next moment, it's, "Why did you not call me?" Logan Marshall-Green: Yeah, no, no, no. Cal's sensitive, but he's not that sensitive. [Chuckles] I think he's more worried about his well-being. And also, because they realize quickly after not being killed that this is something bigger going on here, so it's more about what is going on and becoming kind of the detectives for that. ScreenRant: With the way that episode ends, we sort of take away what seemed to be an overarching villain for the show. As we build into the next few episodes, might you be setting up someone else to take over as the overarching enemy for Kayce and everyone else? Logan Marshall-Green: Well, this is not Yellowstone. This is Marshals. It's a procedural drama, so there's always going to be a new baddie each episode, if you will. But there certainly will be, as you're mentioning, overarching bigger baddies who have a lot more strings above it all. You'll find out there will be a few who will travel across multiple episodes, and we'll come back in ways that you didn't expect. So, that's what I like about it: is we're procedural. We work like a procedural, we kick it out like a procedural. But we also have this universe that can build character over the span of many episodes. But there's still a lot of permission to, like you're saying, create real obstacles, bad guys, antagonists who have lasting power and aren't just canned one and done. Hudnut & Grimes Are Not Taking Monica's Potential Replacement Lightly CBS ScreenRant: Turning to Kayce, and people he can or cannot trust. As we see, Tate is going off with someone we've now learned we can't necessarily trust. I'm curious about Dolly though, because I feel like that relationship is one where it's now even more in question about whether she is part of her father's plan and is just using Kayce, or if she genuinely has feelings for him. I'd love to hear what you're allowed to share or tease about how season 2 is going to explore that. Spencer Hudnut: Yeah, I think that's the immediate thing that Kayce is faced with is he realizes he's been betrayed by one of the Weavers, but has he been betrayed by both of them? I think that he's wrestling with that throughout the first episode. Kayce is used to not being able to trust people. I think he's used to being disappointed by people, and used to tragedy always being around the corner. So, he is certainly going to grapple with that, and I think, at the same time, is this one of those experiences where Dolly comes through it, and has actually a better understanding of what Kayce's been through in his life, because she's realizing her father's not the man she thought he was? So this, actually, could be something that brings them closer if they're able to get through it together. ScreenRant: I'd love to hear, too, about how uniquely challenging it is to introduce a new love interest for Kayce, given how well-loved Monica was and how much season 1 was about him grappling with the grief of her passing. Matthias Clamer/CBS Spencer Hudnut: It's really one of the more — I don't want to say difficult, but it's one of the things that Luke Grimes and I have talked about the most since we first talked about this show. Obviously, this is a guy who has only loved one woman in his life. She was such a huge part of his life, and so much of season 1 was, as you said, dealing with the grief. So, we always knew that it would take serious baby steps to get him to a place of ever even confronting being in a real relationship. Season 1, Luke and I had a lot of conversations about where we were with Kayce and Dolly, and there were moments — I think it was episode 107, where she tried to kiss him, and he wasn't ready for that. We never actually showed them [kiss], they never kissed on camera. They know their relationship hadn't gotten to that point because it felt like we were just still dealing with Monica's loss. So, I think that's one of the challenges in season 2 is trying to see how can he progress? Can he continue to hold on to Monica, but also have a life beyond her? So, Dolly, it was interesting watching when she came on, and it was very clear in her first episode that she maybe had some eyes for Kayce, and what the audience thought of that. So, we want to be true to that Kayce-Monica relationship as much as possible. ScreenRant: I remember when season 1 was going on, I interviewed Mo Brings Plenty, and he talked about the trafficking episode, and how he served as a cultural consultant on many of Taylor's works, but especially Yellowstone. How much did you talk with Gil Birmingham and with Mo this season for the mine fighting and the legislation arcs that we're going to see in season 2? Spencer Hudnut: Yeah, those two are a constant resource for me, and I'm constantly talking to them and asking questions. I think of all the incredible things Taylor's done in his works, shining a spotlight on reservations and the issues facing them is one of the best things to come out of Yellowstone. So, when we had the opportunity to bring Mo and Rainwater into our world, I absolutely jumped at it. I think those storylines, much like the girls being trafficked last season, just give an added layer and depth to the show that I think a lot of other network shows don't have. I think it's what helps set us apart, so we have a lot of really good storylines coming out of Broken Rock this season. And yeah, I feel so blessed to get to work with those two. Be sure to dive into our other Marshals season 2-related content with: Logan Marshall-Green confessing a partial desire to have seen Cal die in the Marshals season 2 premiere Marshall-Green confirming Marshals season 2's extended episode count and giving a new filming update Marshall-Green giving a glowing early review to Jefferson White's Yellowstone return Spencer Hudnut offering a definitive update on the chances of a Dutton Ranch and Marshals season 2 crossover Hudnut teasing how the Yellowstone spinoff will change genres a bit through one character Hudnut confirming that an iconic Yellowstone location will also return in season 2 Hudnut addressing Marshals season 1 setting an all-time-low record for Yellowstone on Rotten Tomatoes New episodes of Marshals season 2 air Sundays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS! Release Date 2026 - 2026-00-00 Network CBS Showrunner Spencer Hudnut 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. Directors Christopher Chulack, Greg Yaitanes Writers Spencer Hudnut, Tom Mularz, Dana Greenblatt Main Genre Western Creator(s) Spencer Hudnut Executive Producer(s) Art Linson, Bob Yari, David Glasser, David Hutkin, Greg Yaitanes, John Linson, Luke Grimes, Michael Friedman, Ron Burkle, Spencer Hudnut, Taylor Sheridan Producers Sandra Nebel Seasons 2