Yellowstone’s Kayce Dutton Just Handed Y: Marshals Its Biggest Secret Weapon Yet md20

Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) is parting from Monica Long (Kelsey Asbille) in his upcoming Yellowstone spinoff, Y: Marshals, but it could be the best thing for the series. While the original Yellowstone show, starring Kevin Costner as John Dutton, ended last year after Season 5, the franchise will continue to expand with offshoots of the original program, following existing spinoffs.

Along with Beth and Rip’s Yellowstone spinoff, The Dutton Ranch, Kayce’s offshoot will continue the story of John Dutton’s family. At the end of Yellowstone Season 5, Kayce moved to a section of the ranch called East Camp and set up with Tate (Brecken Merrill) and Monica. However, it appears that Kayce’s plans have changed heading into Y: Marshals’ premiere.

Monica Dutton Isn’t Joining Kayce Dutton In Y: Marshals Season 1

Image via Paramount.

In Yellowstone’s series finale, Kayce sets up for the next phase of his life with Tate and Monica. However, only part of Dutton’s family will join him in his spinoff, giving him Kayce problems to contend with in Y: Marshals Season 1. According to the cast listing for the series, Asbille won’t be joining Grimes as Monica Long.

Asbille played Monica in all five seasons of Yellowstone, Kayce’s wife and Tate’s (Breck Merrill) mother. It seems more likely that Monica will be out of Kayce’s life altogether, rather than have a limited presence in Y: Marshals. Merrill will join the regular cast as Tate, and one would think that Monica would, too, if she were in the picture.

The official cast of Y: Marshals will include Gil Birmingham and Moses Brings Plenty, who played Thomas Rainwater and Mo in the original series. Thomas and Mo are Kayce’s most trusted advisors, so it’s great that they will at least be joining him in the new show, since Dutton will have new tribulations to navigate without Monica.

While it’s unclear why his wife isn’t joining him yet, with previews leaving Kayce’s next chapter ambiguous, something life-altering has clearly come between the Duttons. Unfortunately, that means it’s possible that Monica has died leading up to Y: Marshals, or perhaps she and Kayce have finally separated after years of unrest in Yellowstone, though that seems less likely.

Kayce Dutton Is Looking For a New Path In Y: Marshals Season 1

Image via Paramount

While there hasn’t been an official trailer for Y: Marshals, which will premiere on CBS in early 2026, short previews of the show have begun running on the network. In a first look at Kayce in Y: Marshals, Dutton remarks that he’s looking for a new path and finding a new beginning, laying the bedrock of his next chapter.

Kayce could be referring to his new path as a US Marshal, as the series will follow Dutton as he transitions into a career that utilizes his law enforcement and cowboy backgrounds. However, Kayce’s comment about a new beginning probably indicates something personal, suggesting that whatever has happened with Monica prompted his journey to start anew in the Yellowstone spinoff.

Regardless of Monica’s involvement, it’s clear that Kayce will be charting an entirely new course in Y: Marshals, with the show marking a new era for Dutton. That could come with new romantic relationships, as Yellowstone audiences will witness Kayce on his own for the first time in over a decade, and potentially looking for love.

Tatanka Means and Logan Marshall-Green will join Grimes in Y: Marshals’ cast as Miles and Pete Calvin, two of his fellow marshals. Arielle Kebbel and Ash Santos will also join the show as Belle and Andrea, introducing new Yellowstone characters and giving Kayce new people to lean on, potentially leading to a fresh romance as Kayce makes peace with Monica.

Monica’s Absence In Y: Marshals Could Actually Be A Good Thing

Image via Paramount

While an original Yellowstone character’s absence from the series could be a devastating factor, especially since Monica was essential to the story and Kayce’s journey in it, the truth is that many fans won’t miss her in the upcoming show. Fans of the Yellowstone franchise almost universally disliked Monica, so her absence in Y: Marshals could be a good thing.

Whether it was due to her marital issues with Kayce or just a lack of interesting character development, many Yellowstone fans couldn’t stand Monica, and her absence in the upcoming spinoff could be related. While Monica may not appear, she will still have a presence in the series, as Kayce tries to move on from the memory of her.

Y: Marshals’ premiere will doubtlessly explain what happened to Monica. In Yellowstone Season 5, the Duttons discuss having another child, so Monica could potentially die in childbirth, leaving Kayce and Tate with a significant trauma to work through. That would certainly align with all existing Yellowstone stories, many of which end in tragedy, especially for its young female characters.