Marshals
Credit: CBS / Paramount
CBS’s breakout Yellowstone spinoff Marshals is back for Season 2, just over four months after its first season came to a violent, cliffhanger-filled conclusion. That’s shockingly fast for a second season, especially in today’s TV environment where many shows have two or even three year gaps between seasons.
Luke Grimes returns as Kayce Dutton, who traded the rancher’s life for a federal badge in Season 1, joining an elite team of U.S. Marshals hunting dangerous criminals across Montana. Season 2 picks up directly from the explosive finale, with Kayce’s son Tate effectively kidnapped, Thomas Rainwater under threat and a much larger conspiracy surrounding the East Camp land grab beginning to emerge. Things ended on a cliffhanger, but at least fans didn’t have long to wait.
Here’s everything you need to know about Marshals Season 2, including when the premiere airs on CBS, when you can stream it on Paramount+, the release schedule, returning and new cast members and a quick recap of Season 1.
Check out my weekend streaming guide for the rest of the new TV shows and movies out this first weekend of October.
Marshals Season 2 — At-A-Glance
| Series | Marshals |
| Season | 2 |
| Season Premiere | “All Hat No Cattle” |
| Premiere Date | Sunday, October 4, 2026 |
| CBS Premiere Time | 8:30 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT |
| Regular Time Slot | Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT beginning October 11 |
| Where To Watch | CBS and Paramount+ |
| Paramount+ Premium | Live CBS stream + on-demand |
| Paramount+ Essential | On-demand the following day |
| Season Length | TBA |
| Genre | Western / Crime / Drama |
| Showrunner | Spencer Hudnut |
| Executive Producers | Taylor Sheridan, Spencer Hudnut, Luke Grimes, David Glasser, John Linson, Art Linson and others |
| Stars | Luke Grimes, Logan Marshall-Green, Arielle Kebbel, Ash Santos, Tatanka Means, Brecken Merrill, Gil Birmingham and Mo Brings Plenty |
CBS has not yet announced how many episodes Season 2 will contain or when the finale will air. Season 1 ran for 13 episodes.
What Time Does The ‘Marshals’ Season 2 Premiere Air On CBS?
Marshals
Credit: CBS / Paramount
The Marshals Season 2 premiere airs Sunday, October 4, but at a slightly unusual time thanks to CBS’s NFL doubleheader.
“All Hat No Cattle” airs from 8:30 – 9:30 p.m. ET and 8 – 9 p.m. PT. Beginning with Episode 2 on October 11, Marshals moves into its normal 8 p.m. ET/PT Sunday time slot.
| Time Zone | CBS Season 2 Premiere |
|---|---|
| Eastern | 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4 |
| Central | 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4 |
| Mountain | Check local CBS listings* |
| Pacific | 8:00 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4 |
*CBS’s official announcement lists the premiere at 8:30 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. PT. Local affiliate scheduling can vary in the Mountain time zone.
This is different from a streaming-first show like many Paramount+ originals like Landman, Dutton Ranch or Lioness. Marshals is first and foremost a CBS broadcast series, with Paramount+ acting as its streaming home.
What Time Does ‘Marshals’ Season 2 Stream On Paramount+?
This depends on which Paramount+ plan you have.
| Paramount+ Plan | When You Can Watch |
|---|---|
| Premium | Stream your local CBS affiliate live while the episode airs; episode is also available on-demand |
| Essential | Stream the episode on-demand beginning the following day |
That means Paramount+ Premium subscribers can watch the Season 2 premiere live Sunday night alongside CBS viewers. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will have to wait until Monday, October 5 to stream the premiere on-demand. CBS has not announced a specific midnight-style release time for the Essential version.
Full ‘Marshals’ Season 2 Release Schedule
Unlike Season 1, CBS has not yet revealed the total Season 2 episode count or published a complete dated schedule. What we know for certain is that the premiere airs October 4 at its special post-NFL time and the series moves to Sundays at 8 p.m. beginning October 11.
Here’s the confirmed schedule so far:
| Episode | CBS Release Date | CBS Time | Paramount+ Essential |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 — “All Hat No Cattle” | Sunday, Oct. 4 | 8:30 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT | Monday, Oct. 5 |
| 2 – “End of Watch” | Sunday, Oct. 11 | 8 p.m. ET/PT | Monday, Oct. 12 |
| Episodes 3 – “Falling ”Sky” + going forward | Sundays | 8 p.m. ET/PT | Following day |
I’ll update this schedule with individual episode titles, dates and the Season 2 finale once CBS announces the full episode order.
Season 1 consisted of 13 episodes and ran from March 1 through May 24, 2026.
What Is ‘Marshals’ About?
Marshals picks up Kayce Dutton’s story after the end of Yellowstone. With the Yellowstone Ranch behind him – though he still owns the East Camp property with his son, Tate (Brecken Merrill) – and following the shocking death of his wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), Kayce joins an elite unit of U.S. Marshals in Montana, where his experience as both a cowboy and former Navy SEAL makes him particularly well-suited to chasing fugitives through some of the most remote and dangerous terrain in the country.
This is the Kayce Yellowstone viewers liked best, and now that he’s largely free of family ties (other than his son) he can operate unfettered by obligations, and with potential new love interests as well.
Watch the Marshals Season 2 trailer below:
Kayce works alongside Pete “Cal” Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green), Belle Skinner (Arielle Kebbel), Andrea Cruz (Ash Santos) and Miles Kittle (Tatanka Means), while trying to build a new life with his son Tate. Kayce’s connections to Broken Rock also keep Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and Mo (Mo Brings Plenty) firmly connected to the story, though in a less adversarial role than they often were in the flagship series.
Season 2 expands beyond the weekly fugitive-hunting procedural storylines and continues several major arcs from the first season. Kayce is trying to create some semblance of stability for Tate, Cal is battling cancer while struggling with the pressures of leadership and Rainwater finds his own leadership challenged by a younger generation at Broken Rock.
What Happened In ‘Marshals’ Season 1?
Marshals
Credit: CBS / Paramount
Major Season 1 spoilers ahead.
Season 1 followed Kayce as he attempted to move beyond the tragedies and violence that defined his life on Yellowstone, only to discover that joining the U.S. Marshals wasn’t exactly a pathway to peace and quiet.
The series mixed largely standalone cases with an increasingly important storyline involving Broken Rock, a mining operation, East Camp and a potential buyer, and a conspiracy that eventually put Rainwater directly in the crosshairs.
The season also explored the rest of Kayce’s new team. Cal struggled with both his past and a cancer diagnosis while attempting to repair his relationship with his estranged daughter Maddie. Miles became increasingly willing to bend the rules — something Kayce himself encouraged — and eventually went rogue while hunting a cartel drug trafficker targeting Broken Rock.
Everything came to a head in the Season 1 finale, “Wolves at the Door.” After an assassination attempt against Rainwater, Kayce stepped in to protect his old friend while the Marshals tried to determine who was behind the attack. A militia assault revealed that the conspiracy was much bigger than anyone initially believed.
The finale then left several enormous cliffhangers hanging over Season 2. Tate was taken by the rancher, Tom Weaver (Chris Mulkey) who turned out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing the whole time. Cal and Belle came under attack by some of Weaver’s men, their fates left a mystery by the time credits rolled. The plot appears to revolve around Tom Weaver and a criminal operation attempting to take control of East Camp, with Tate being used as leverage against Kayce, who is off with Weaver’s duplicitous daughter, Dolly (Ellyn Jameson) when the season ends.
The official synopsis for the Season 2 premiere has Kayce going rogue in a desperate attempt to rescue Tate while the rest of the Marshals “uncover a powerful criminal operation tied to the East Camp land grab.”
“A violent showdown ensues, putting everything Kayce cares about at risk,” the logline continues, ensuring an action-packed season 2 premiere.
Who Stars In ‘Marshals’ Season 2?
Marshals
Credit: CBS / Paramount
The main returning cast includes:
- Luke Grimes — Kayce Dutton
- Logan Marshall-Green — Pete “Cal” Calvin
- Arielle Kebbel — Belle Skinner
- Ash Santos — Andrea Cruz
- Tatanka Means — Miles Kittle
- Brecken Merrill — Tate Dutton
- Gil Birmingham — Thomas Rainwater
- Mo Brings Plenty — Mo
- Morgan Lindholm — Maddie
There are also some notable additions this season.
Marque Richardson joins the series as Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Burns, while Yellowstone veteran Jefferson White returns as Jimmy Hurdstrom, giving Marshals another direct connection to the original series. White will appear in a recurring role.
How Did ‘Marshals’ Season 1 Do With Critics?
Marshals
Screenshot: Erik Kain
Marshals was an enormous ratings success and a critical bomb, which is both interesting and unsurprising for a number of reasons.
Season 1 currently sits at just 48% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 21 critic reviews, with an even lower 28% Popcornmeter audience score from more than 500 ratings. The critical consensus argues that the series lacks the intrigue and narrative energy that made Yellowstone work. Critics also complained that the dialogue and acting left a lot to be desired.
| Rotten Tomatoes | Score |
|---|---|
| Season 1 Tomatometer | 48% |
| Audience Popcornmeter | 28% |
The audience actually watching the show told a very different story.
‘Marshals’ Was A Massive Ratings Hit
Whatever critics thought about Marshals, viewers showed up in enormous numbers.
The March 1 series premiere drew 20.6 million multiplatform viewers in its first seven days, making it the biggest network television launch without an NFL lead-in since Young Sheldon in 2017. CBS also reported that the premiere became the most-streamed CBS episode ever on Paramount+.
Those numbers weren’t just premiere hype, either. CBS says Marshals averaged 19.3 million viewers in 35-day multiplatform viewing across its first season, making it the #1 broadcast series of the entire 2025-26 television season, ahead of fellow CBS hit Tracker.
| Season 1 Ratings Milestone | Result |
|---|---|
| Premiere — 7-day multiplatform | 20.6 million viewers |
| Season average — 35-day multiplatform | 19.3 million viewers |
| 2025-26 Broadcast Ranking | #1 series |
| Paramount+ | Biggest CBS episode launch in service history |
That discrepancy between mediocre reviews and enormous viewership makes Marshals just goes to show that what TV audiences want is not always what critics want. It also indicates that the audience that stuck around for Yellowstone and moved on to other Taylor Sheridan shows like Dutton Ranch may not be the same one tuning in for Marshals, a show that — unlike most of his shows — Sheridan did not write, and has taken mostly a backseat role in.
Has ‘Marshals’ Been Renewed?
Marshals
Credit: CBS / Paramount
CBS wasted virtually no time renewing Marshals after its blockbuster debut.
Season 2 was officially ordered in March, after just the beginning of Season 1’s run. The renewal announcement came after the premiere crossed 20 million multiplatform viewers.
What About ‘Marshals’ Season 3?
So far, CBS has not announced a Season 3 renewal.
That isn’t particularly surprising given that Season 2 is only just beginning. Considering that Marshals finished its rookie season as the most-watched broadcast series on television, though, it would be more surprising at this point if CBS didn’t order a third season. Whether it will come out as quickly as Season 2 remains to be seen, of course.
Obviously, Season 2 ratings will play a role, but this is hardly a show entering its sophomore season on shaky ground.
Is ‘Marshals’ Season 1 Streaming On Paramount+?
Yes. All 13 episodes of Season 1 are currently available to stream on Paramount+, making it fairly easy to catch up before diving into Season 2.
The extremely quick turnaround between seasons is worth noting: The Season 1 finale aired May 24 and Season 2 premiered October 4, meaning Kayce Dutton was off our screens for barely four months. The two seasons effectively bookend Dutton Ranch, which streamed on Paramount+ and stars Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton, Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler and newcomers Ed Harris, Annette Benning and Natalie Alyn Lind. That series has also been renewed for a second season.
Taylor Sheridan’s mobster drama, Tulsa King, starring Sylvester Stallone, returns for its fourth season on Paramount+ on October 16.
I’ll be covering Marshals Season 2 and Tulsa King as they air, so check back (and follow me on this blog!) each week for recaps, reviews and updated release information. Check out what else is streaming this weekend in my friendly neighborhood streaming guide.
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