Yellowstone’s 2 hit spinoffs are missing Taylor Sheridan’s secret weapon

Yellowstoneis going strong again, but both of the spinoffs executive produced by Taylor Sheridan are missing the flagship series' secret weapon. Yellowstone concluded at the end of 2024, and two spinoffs mounted to continue the Dutton saga: CBS's Marshals led by Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton, and Dutton Ranch starring Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton and Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler.

Any doubts that Yellowstone still had the power over audiences it had when Taylor Sheridan's neo-Western was one of the biggest shows on television were erased by Marshals and Dutton Ranch's successes. Low Rotten Tomatoes rating aside, Marshals debuted as one of the biggest shows on broadcast television, and it also cleans up when episodes stream on Paramount+.

Not to be outdone, Dutton Ranch became the biggest original series launch on Paramount+. surpassing Taylor Sheridan's previous record holder, Landman. Critical and audience reception is also more welcoming to Dutton Ranch, which is regarded as the true successor to Yellowstone, since Marshals radically changed format to a network procedural.

Montana Isn’t A Character in Marshals & Dutton Ranch Like It Was In Yellowstone

Marshals and Dutton Ranch have many virtues, but both lack the immersion into Montana that was Taylor Sheridan's secret weapon in Yellowstone. The majestic vistas of Big Sky Country's mountains, forests, rivers, and its endless horizon was the silent character that helped audiences fall in love with Yellowstone and the Duttons.

While Marshals is still set in Montana, with Kayce Dutton based in East Camp, the CBS procedural's format doesn't soak in the incredible sights of Big Sky Country. Marshals' focus is on the mission of the week, exposition, and action. Moments when Kayce and his friends relish the wilds of Montana, while the camera lingers on breathtaking scenery, do happen, but not as lovingly as in Yellowstone.

Dutton Ranch isn't even set in Montana. After a tragic fire took their Montana ranch, Beth and Rip were transplanted to the fictional town of Rio Paloma in South Texas so that they could truly start over. Texas also boasts an endless horizon but lacks Montana's lush forests, rivers, and heart-lifting mountain scenery. Beth and Rip have sighed about how different Texas is, while Carter (Finn Little) is not impressed with Rio Paloma.

The Duttons' loyalty to their ranch was also a deep, abiding love for Montana that other Yellowstone characters like Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) shared and wanted to preserve. In contrast, out-of-state developers like Dan Jenkins (Danny Huston) wanted to co-opt Montana's beauty for profit. Audiences felt the same love for and desire to protect Montana that the Duttons did.

Taylor Sheridan’s Non-Yellowstone Show Makes Montana A Character

Taylor Sheridan executive produces Marshals and Dutton Ranch, but he doesn't write episodes for either spinoff. However, Sheridan does write every episode of The Madison, which is set in Montana but not part of the Yellowstone universe. It's in The Madison that Taylor has returned to presenting Montana in the romantic way that made audiences fall for Yellowstone.

The Madison is, in essence, a modern-day version of Yellowstone's origin story, 1883. Rather than 19th-century Dutton cowboys settling in Big Sky Country, The Madison is about a 21st-century widow, Stacy Clyburn (Michelle Pfeiffer), coming to Montana, where her husband, Preston (Kurt Russell), died. Stacy wanted to understand the place the love of her life adored so much.

Through Stacy and her family of affluent New Yorkers, who are completely fish out of water in Big Sky Country, The Madison's viewers gradually fall in love with Montana the way Stacy does. The allure of the Madison River's untouched, scenic beauty pervades Stacy and the audience at home. We share in Stacy's decision to leave the concrete jungles of NYC for Montana's peace and natural grandeur.

Taylor Sheridan famously writes simple plots, which allows for deeper character development. This also allows Sheridan and producer-director Christina Alexandra Voros to make Montana a character in The Madison, as it was in Yellowstone. Montana is arguably Sheridan's most important character of all, and it's laudable that Dutton Ranch and Marshals succeed without relying on Montana.