Marshals: Luke Grimes Admits He Was Wrong About the Show

Luke Grimes thought he was done with the Dutton saga. The Hollywood Reporter sat down with the star of Marshals to talk about why he was wrong. He had reservations about a spin-off. He thought it might be a one-season story. Then the premiere drew more than 20 million viewers in its first week. THR reports it became the biggest show on television, regardless of platform. Now Grimes is preparing for a Yellowstone-sized run.

The show took huge narrative swings to get that audience. The first episode revealed that Kayce's wife Monica had died off-camera between the two series. Grimes told THR it was a tough call. He knew the audience wouldn't be ready for it. The season two premiere on CBS then killed off a budding romance to launch a season-long villain arc.

Season two runs 20 episodes. Grimes describes it as a hybrid. It mixes weekly cases with serialized stories that run the full season. Jimmy from Yellowstone is back. Jefferson White returns as the fan-favorite character. Grimes says it feels just like the old show when he's on set.

A crossover with Beth Dutton is a long way off. Grimes told THR the shows need to stand on their own legs first. He also admitted he hasn't watched the other spin-off, Dutton Ranch, yet.

As for his own future on the show, Grimes is not setting limits. He takes it one season at a time. "I've been acting so long that I know not to get my hopes up," he told THR. He almost didn't sign up for the spin-off. Now, he says, "This has been the greatest character of my life."

• CBS
• Luke Grimes
• Marshals
• Paramount+
• TV
• Yellowstone