Marshals star Logan Marshall-Green explains why the Yellowstone spinoff is more than a procedural

Marshals is the latest television series to expand the Yellow stone story universe, and it landed on CBS. The show, inspired by the characters created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, centered on Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes). In an effort to forge a new beginning, Kayce joins the US Marshals. However, even as he tries to move forward, unresolved demons from his past resurface in unexpected ways.

Kayce has stepped out of his comfort zone with the commissioners, but also finds a place to focus his skills. This Marshals crew is led by Pete Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green) – known to his crew as “Cal” – and also includes Yellowstone universe newcomers Belle Skinner (Arielle Kebbel), Andrea Cruz (Ash Santos), and Miles Kittle (Tatanka Means).

Yellowstone actors Gil Birmingham, Moses Brings Plenty and Brecken Merrill reprise their roles as Thomas Rainwater, Mo and Tate Dutton, respectively, meaning a narrative thread involving the Black Rock Reservation and its community keeps the series tied to Paramount Network’s flagship show.

Finding the right balance between creating a new law enforcement process and respecting Yellowstone’s history takes a lot of work. I spoke with Marshall-Green about that challenge, his role as team leader, and how Marshals aims to be more than a typical CBS procedural. The transcript below has been edited for clarity.

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What does Kayce Dutton really mean to Cal? Is he just there to give the team a kick, or does he represent something deeper, something more familial, given their shared military experience?

Marshall-Green: There’s definitely a story with Cal and Kayce, and between the time you leave Yellowstone and the time you pick up with Marshals, it’s been about, I think, a year, maybe two, but Kayce has been through something huge. Cal has already been to the area to build this team; Kayce was the last person to join him.

I think he understood Kayce’s need to find purpose because of what he was going through. The reason he could understand this was because of another relationship they both shared. This relationship will be distributed and not in a linear and procedural manner. In fact, the show will evolve into something much less linear, with flashbacks. We will eventually return to Afghanistan.

But to answer your question, simply: Cal needed a door kick.

The marshals perform an interesting balancing act. On one hand, it focuses on the series’ law enforcement procedural narrative; on the other, the story of Yellowstone comes into play. What kinds of challenges did you face, or what creative conversations did you have to achieve that balance?

Marshall-Green: I think the balance between serving Yellowstone and this universe and then creating this new quest for Kayce was much more in Spencer’s hands. [Hudnut]the creator and showrunner, and Luke [Grimes]Of course.

I’m sure it’s a completely different show for Luke and Gil. [Birmingham] and Mo [Brings Plenty] and Brecken [Merrill]which come from years of acting in this universe and in these roles. For my part, I only saw the pilot of Yellowstone, and I quickly realized that I didn’t want to watch it anymore. I wanted to ask questions, without knowing the answers, in front of the camera. I was happy to remain completely ignorant of the narrative behind these men coming from the series.

By the end of the season, these questions will begin to be answered. There will be a lot of conflict when Cal realizes exactly who Kayce is and has become, and what he has been doing since leaving the SEALs. And it’s not so pretty.

Marshals also stands out from the procedural crowd in that it’s filmed on location in Utah. Instead of feeling like it’s being filmed on a backlot or in front of a blue screen, the show puts you on horseback through mountainous terrain. Can you talk to us about how this shapes your work?

Marshall-Green: We filmed all around Summit County, sometimes outside, but mostly in the Valley of the Thousand Peaks, where the first two seasons of Yellowstone were filmed. My experience will be very different – ​​and much less surreal – than when Luke, Gil, Mo and Brecken returned to these places seven years later.

There’s a reason they chose to film there. It’s absolutely beautiful. It’s a lot of work to get into these interiors. But, you know, when you’re sitting there at 6 a.m. with an eight-hour turnaround and it’s freezing cold, it’s kind of palatable because of the view and the horse you’re on. This makes things pretty easy, and the idea of ​​playing cowboys and SEALs on horseback certainly appealed to me, knowing the area we were going to be shooting in. This has never escaped my notice. The place has never been ugly. The places are quite beautiful.

Given the connection between the series and Yellowstone, I have to ask: have you had any conversations with Taylor Sheridan about the Marshals?

Marshall-Green: I’ve never had a conversation with Taylor about this show. And, you know, there weren’t many – as they say – ducks on the pond this one. It was a pretty well-oiled machine. It was off the cuff, and everyone was really willing to do their job, so there weren’t a lot of producers looking over their shoulders. Certainly, everyone seemed interested in what we did on a daily basis.

Given everything we’ve discussed and the expectations Yellowstone fans may have for Marshals, can you tell me what you hope audiences take away from the series?

Marshall-Green: Well, more than anything, indigenous stories are my favorite. That’s what I would remember if I had to watch this. I think there’s a lot of love for the characters from Spencer, who wrote it and is the showrunner.

But more than anything, the Indigenous stories we tell matter. It’s not just that we’re fighting for these communities because they can’t lead – they can. These are incredibly strong communities, with incredible leaders and people within them. So in the end, we fight with them, and I love it.

Marshals airs new episodes on CBS every Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, before becoming available to stream the next day on Paramount Plus.