Monica Dutton's Possible Yellowstone Return In Marshals Gets Update From Showrunner

Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille) may be dead in the "Yellowstone" universe, but that doesn't necessarily mean fans have seen the last of her. "Marshals" showrunner Spencer Hudnut hasn't ruled out bringing the character back, although the timing would have to be right.

The second season of "Marshals," which premiered October 4, continues the story of Monica's husband, Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), as he navigates her death, takes on a new mission as a U.S. Marshal, and raises their son Tate (Brecken Merrill). The Season 1 premiere revealed that Monica died of cancer attributed to a toxic water supply. Even in Season 2, Monica's death still weighs heavily on her family.

Speaking with People, Hudnut addressed the possibility of Monica coming back and said, "I'm definitely open [to] that ... I think you have to be very careful about the timing of doing that." But this doesn't mean that Monica's return is officially in the works — yet. He added that he doesn't know whether Asbille would be interested in returning, saying, "I have no idea what her point of view would be on that," but noted, "I would love to work with her."

While Monica is already dead when "Marshals" begins, her influence on the show, and particularly on Kayce Dutton, remains strong. She has always been his moral compass of sorts, grounding Kayce despite all the turmoil in his life and within the Dutton family. Spencer Hudnut also emphasized her importance and continuing influence on Luke Grimes' character, telling People, "The character of Monica will always be with Kayce. She's, I think, guiding him still."

As for Monica's death, Hudnut explained that Kayce and Monica had a picture-perfect ending in "Yellowstone" and felt that disrupting that happiness would help kickstart Kayce's new journey. Speaking to TVLine shortly after the "Marshals" Season 1 premiere, the showrunner further explained, "Unfortunately, tragedy tends to find Kayce, so something bad was going to happen for him one way or the other. It just sort of played out that it was going to be Monica." As a result of her death, both Kayce and the couple's son Tate are left feeling lost and confused, and the loss puts a strain on the father-son relationship as well. 

But according to reporting from Puck, Monica's death may also have helped save the show some legal trouble. "Marshals" needed to distinguish itself from "Yellowstone" because of a complicated licensing situation involving Peacock, which secured the original series' streaming rights before Paramount+ premiered in 2021. With Monica no longer part of the main cast, the spin-off could more easily establish itself as something distinct from the original family drama.