As horses galloped around a corral and guests in cowboy hats and boots stomped across the red carpet, Hollywood was momentarily transformed into the plains of Wyoming on Tuesday to celebrate the premiere of Marshals, the latest show from Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone universe. The stars of the show, including Luke Grimes, Riley Green, Arielle Kebbel, and Gil Birmingham, gathered at the Autry Museum of the American West to support their latest venture. Grimes reprised his role as Kayce Dutton, a rancher who was persuaded by his friend and fellow former Navy Seal, Logan Marshall Green, to become a U.S. Marshal after selling the Yellowstone ranch in the original show's series finale.
On the carpet, Grimes admitted that he was initially reluctant to return to playing a Dutton, stating, "I didn't think I wanted to come back to it because I felt like Kayce's story ended so perfectly in the first show. He had achieved his dream life and everything he had been fighting for. But then the trailer revealed a major tragedy in Kayce's life, showing him visiting a grave and seemingly without his wife, Monica (played by Kelsey Asbille). This opened up an opportunity for him to get out of his comfort zone and open himself to a new world, new people, and new responsibilities."
One thing that sets Marshals apart from other Sheridan shows is that the prolific producer is not acting as the lead writer (but still serves as an executive producer) and has turned the reins over to showrunner Spencer Hudnut. Hudnut explained to The Hollywood Reporter what it was like to create an original show in someone else's universe: "I'm effectively sort of a Taylor Sheridan cover band. It's a little intimidating because he is the best writer of my generation in the last 20 years; Yellowstone is the biggest show to come out in 20 years. But fortunately for me, he made himself available to me. I had a lot of resources to help me try to launch this show. Once I stopped trying to do a Taylor impression, it really freed me up because there's only one Taylor Sheridan."
Ash Santos stars as Andrea Cruz, an experienced Marshal on Grimes' team. She shared just how intense it was to shoot the series, recalling: "I had to learn so much fight choreography and all these things that I had to do, and I got to do almost all of my own stunts. I was so proud of myself. There was one day in particular that was so stunt-heavy. That day ended and I was sweaty and bruised. That's exactly why I became an actress."
Mo Brings Plenty, another actor who carries his role over from the original Yellowstone, offered his thoughts on what makes Sheridan's shows special: "Taylor has so much openness and supports cultural diversity. That's what makes it different. It's always about the authenticity of everything. When you look at us, we as American Indian people are a group of people that are not celebrated in our own homeland. Taylor highlights that and brings it to the forefront, giving us the opportunity to occupy the space."
Following the screening of the pilot episode, guests enjoyed an afterparty in the museum's courtyard, featuring custom-made cowboy hats, embroidered bandannas, and a performance from country star Green and a live band. Marshals premieres Sunday on CBS.
