Yellowstone’s Kayce Dutton Spinoff Can Learn Everything From Taylor Sheridan’s 8-Year-Old Western Movie

Kayce and Thomas Rainwater from Yellowstone

Image via Paramount Network

Ever since Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone ended its run with its fifth season, it wasn’t long before Paramount announced news surrounding the series’ many sequel spin-offs. Yellowstone ended earlier than what was originally planned. Sheridan stated many times that he had plans for at least 8 Seasons, but due to various conflicts, the flagship series ended with an extended fifth season. Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2, followed Beth and Kayce as they tried to unravel the mystery behind their father’s murder, while doing whatever they could to save their family’s ranch. Ultimately, the Dutton siblings sold the ranch back to the Broken Rock Reservation.

With the bittersweet decision in place, Kayce and Beth are able to continue their lives unshackled by the burden of the Dutton family legacy. Paramount immediately confirmed a sequel spin-off featuring Beth and Rip on their new ranch in Texas, but it wasn’t until recently that news of a new spin-off featuring Kayce was announced. Yellowstone will once again expand and focus on Kayce Dutton and his family as they try to balance family, duty, and psychological struggles. While Y:Marshals, the current working title of the Kayce spin-off, promises action and drama, it has the opportunity to delve deeper by drawing inspiration from Taylor Sheridan’s 2017 neo-Western film Wind River.

Rip and Beth take in a sunset on the Dutton Ranch in Yellowstone.

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Yellowstone Expands its World Further With Y:Marshals

Kayce Dutton Will Take the Spotlight & Lead His Own Story

Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton and Kevin Costner as John Dutton are discussing how to move cattle over the hill that day while sitting horseback in Yellowstone.

Image via Paramount

Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) and Beth Dutton stand next to one another beside a wall in Yellowstone

Image via Paramount.

Kayce Dutton rides up on a tense conversation with his father in Yellowstone.

Image via Paramount Pictures.

Y:Marshals will no doubt pick up after the events of Yellowstone, where Kayce and Beth agreed to sell most of the family ranch back to the Broken Rock Indian Reservation. Kayce, however, does retain a small portion of land with a house for his family. Throughout Yellowstone, Kayce had a difficult relationship with his father and his own haunted past. It’s established early on that Kayce is a veteran. He’s seen war, violence, and it’s that experience that aids him when fighting off those who threaten his family.

In Yellowstone Season 2, Dutton’s enemies, the Beck brothers, hire a militia to kidnap Tate from the Dutton ranch. Kayce takes the lead in the rescue mission and showcases his military background. Unfortunately, the series never gave fans a deep exploration of the toll that Kayce’s past had on his mental health. It’s mentioned in passing here and there, but Kayce never had much opportunity to showcase his skills. With Yellowstone ending sooner than planned, there could have been more opportunities in the later seasons for all that to be explored.

Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford) stands outside smirking in 1923

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With Y:Marshals, however, Kayce becomes the focal point of the story. Embarking on this new chapter as he joins an elite U.S. Marshals unit that is tasked with combating violence in Montana, the series will put everything fans love about Kayce front and center. The series promises to explore the trials and tribulations of law enforcement in the modern American West, which will no doubt feature stories and characters from the Reservation and further Kayce’s struggle of belonging. All these elements would be further elevated if the series takes a page from Sheridan’s neo-Western film from 2017, Winder River.

Wind River is the Blueprint That Y:Marshals Should Follow

Y:Marshals Can be a Very Different Genre & Tone From Yellowstone

Y:Marshals will likely lean into procedural drama elements which already make it quite different from Yellowstone, and that’s not a bad thing. Having a new sub-genre within Yellowstone can only ensure the franchise’s longevity. As long as those new takes and voices stay true to Yellowstone‘s heart, then exploring different avenues shouldn’t be too concerning. Lucky for Y:Marshals Sheridan has the perfect blueprint for it to follow.

Wind River stands as a testament to Sheridan’s ability to intertwine gripping stories with profound social commentary — something he often did in Yellowstone. The neo-Western film follows U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Tracker Cory Lambert, played by Jeremy Renner, and FBI agent Jane Banner, played by Elizabeth Olsen, as they investigate the murder of a young Indian woman on the Winder River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. While in a completely different state, the film’s procedural elements and heavy tone can really help elevate the world of Yellowstone‘s newest spin-off.

Kevin Costner and Ian Bohen in Yellowstone

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The tension in Wind River is merciless as the narrative unravels and sheds light on the systemic neglect and violence that the Indigenous communities face every single day. The film’s main highlight, though, is the alarming rates of missing and murdered Native American women. Sheridan’s work often highlights important social issues that don’t often get talked about in film and television. Sheridan’s Yellowstone prequel series in particular shed light on the injustice that Native Americans faced during America’s early years.

Taking lessons from Wind River‘s portrayal of grief, isolation, and the harsh realities of living on the reservation in modern times, Y:Marshals can boldly go where Yellowstone never had the time to go. It can tackle deeper issues and, with its procedural structure, breathe new life into the Yellowstone franchise. If CBS gives it a later time slot, the series can deliver an authentic and unflinching examination of what it means to be the last line of defense in the region’s war on violence.

Y:Marshals Should Explore Stories That Yellowstone Could Not

Using Wind River as a Foundation Can Elevate Y:Marshals as a Series

A wounded Jane (Elizabeth Olsen) sits up after the gunfight in Wind River.

Jane Banner directs other law enforcement officers in Wind River.

Cory tells a local about what he found out with a mystery in Wind River.

Image via The Weinstein Company

Cory is dressed completely in white and aims his gun in Wind River.

John Dutton, Kayce Dutton and Rip Wheeler discuss how to move cattle through the pass that morning in Yellowstone.

Monica Long Dutton, Tate Dutton and Kayce Dutton stand on the porch of a log cabin in Yellowstone

Image via Paramount

Kayce Dutton, played by Luke Grimes, leans on truck wearing tan shirt and cowboy hat in Yellowstone

John Dutton (Kevin Coster) and Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) ride horseback on the series Yellowstone.

Image via Paramount

The storytelling possibilities that lie ahead for Y:Marshals are quite exciting to look forward to. As a fan of Yellowstone and Kayce Dutton’s character arc in particular, the concept of having a Yellowstone series taking a more procedural path is intriguing. Not only can this direction allow the series to tell more authentic and engaging stories revolving around the Indigenous communities in the modern American West, it could also explore Kayce and his family dynamics even further.

Sheridan is only an Executive Producer on Y:Marshals with Spencer Hudnut, SEAL Team, helming the series as showrunner. It’ll be interesting to see what the franchise will look like with a new vision. Sheridan and Hudnut working together, further confirming the new series will have a blend of military and Western storytelling. This blend, however, is perfect for Yellowstone, and could push the world established by Sheridan even further. Y:Marshals has Kayce at the forefront, but fans shouldn’t forget Kayce’s wife Monica and how outspoken she was about the injustices her people faced.

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Sheridan’s signature will no doubt still be present. He carved out distinct narrative space with stories about the American frontier’s moral and physical landscapes. Much like John Dutton, Sheridan’s characters were always deeply flawed and clung onto fading ideals. Thematically, Sheridan unpacked the political complexities of Modern America with the Dutton family at the center. As long as Y:Marshals builds off of that as it journeys ahead, there’s no reason it shouldn’t succeed.

Not much outside the premise and that Luke Grimes will be returning as Kayce Dutton is known about the series. Yet, Y:Marshals presents a great opportunity to expand Yellowstone, not just in terms of story, but genre and structure as well. It’s definitely an exciting time to be a Yellowstone fan. To truly resonate with fans and deliver the kinds of meaningful stories that Yellowstone fans seek, however, the series can look no further than Sheridan’s Wind River as a blueprint. If Y:Marshals tackles real-world issues with sensitivity, and builds on the complex world and characters that Sheridan built, it can honor Yellowstone‘s legacy in the best way.