How Marshals Will Explore Unresolved Yellowstone Storylines, From John's Fate To Jamie's 'Disappearance'

Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) may be determined to start over on CBS' "Yellowstone" spin-off "Marshals," but outrunning the ghosts of his past — not to mention the skeletons in his family's closet — is already proving to be a challenge for him.

Though no "Yellowstone" knowledge is required to follow "Marshals" as its own show, familiar viewers were likely intrigued by the casual mention of Kayce's brother Jamie's "disappearance" in the spin-off's March 1 premiere. (Jamie, played by Wes Bentley, was killed by his sister and brother-in-law in the final episode of "Yellowstone," and he's currently classified as missing.) It was a quick reference, courtesy of Belle (Arielle Kebbel), but it's indicative of how "Marshals" will handle unresolved storylines from the original series.

"Jamie is definitely in the ether, as is the sort of lore of the Duttons," showrunner Spencer Hudnut tells TVLine. "I think it does raise questions about Kayce in a way that any good U.S. Marshal would ask with some new guy coming onto the force."

That said, Hudnut says he doesn't want those "Yellowstone" connections to pull too much focus from the new stories being told on "Marshals," nor does he want to feel like he's beating a dead horse by drawing too heavily from the past.

"We have such a rich backstory for Kayce and the Duttons, and obviously we want to build off of that, but what I don't want to do is relitigate other storylines that Taylor [Sheridan] created and kind of settled," Hudnut explains. "I think Kayce's father's death and brother's demise will always hang over him. It plays into all of the tragedy that Kayce has dealt with."

Another reason it wouldn't make sense for "Marshals" to go all in on Jamie's alleged disappearance is that his actual killers, Kayce's sister Beth (Kelly Reilly) and brother-in-law Rip (Cole Hauser), have their own spin-off coming out soon on Paramount+. If any show is going to revisit that storyline with depth and commitment, it's going to be "The Dutton Ranch."

Fortunately, there is one storyline that "Marshals" showrunner Spencer Hudnut thinks is perfect for the CBS spin-off to address: "I think Kayce's decision to let his father's killer go is something we may revisit down the road sometime," he tells TVLine, once again stressing that he doesn't want to "go back and start retelling stories that Taylor [Sheridan] finished."

For now, "Yellowstone" die-hards will have to settle for casual Easter eggs dropped by the handful of familiar faces regularly appearing on "Marshals," including Luke Grimes as Kayce, Brecken Merrill as Tate, Gil Birmingham as Thomas Rainwater, and Mo Brings Plenty as Mo. 

And even though Kayce's beloved wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille) has died of cancer, it's possible that she could pay the show a spiritual visit down the line; Hudnut reminds TVLine that "Kayce went on some 'journeys' on 'Yellowstone.' He did some time in the sweat lodge."

New episodes of "Marshals" air Sundays at 8/7c on CBS. Which dangling "Yellowstone" threads would you like to see tied up? And which other characters from that world should make an appearance? Drop a comment with your thoughts on the spin-off below.