On Screen: “Marshals”
Marshals
Taylor Sheridan’s hit neo-Western series “Yellowstone” ended with Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) selling the Dutton ranch for a nominal fee to Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and the Broken Rock Indian Reservation, keeping a small parcel, known as East Camp, for himself, his Native wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille) and their son Tate (Brecken Merrill).
Set a while later, “Marshals” begins as Kayce’s old Navy SEAL buddy, Pete Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green), asks him to join a Montana-based tactical unit that’s part of the U.S. Marshals.
“Gangs, cartels, race warriors — it may look like God’s country, but the devil’s running free out here,” he says, providing Kayce with a road to redemption.
But always soulful Kayce’s still grieving over the loss of Monica to a cancer that’s plagued the Reservation due to toxic runoff from encroaching federal building projects that Tribal Chairman Rainwater and his traditionalist protector Mo (Mo Brings Plenty) are opposing.
Kayce’s tough-talking, beer-guzzling new crew includes Belle Skinner (Arielle Kebbel), a former ATF undercover operative with a family history she’d rather keep secret; sassy, Bronx-bred Andrea Cruz (Ash Santos), seeking vengeance for her father’s death; and indigenous Miles Kittle (Tatanka Means), a former Marine and member of the Broken Rock tribal force who joins up with the feds.
They’re supervised by arrogant U.S. Marshal Harry Gifford (Brett Cullen), who has a huge Dutton chip on his shoulder and doesn’t trust Kayce, whom he believes carries the Dutton legacy.
Based on archetypal characters created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, it’s shaped by showrunner Spencer Hudnut and follows a formulaic case-of-the-week procedural plot.
Still to come in May is “Dutton Ranch,” a franchise sequel following Beth Dutton’s (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser)’s efforts to start a new Dutton ranch. Plus — sometime in the future — there’s “1944,” following the “1883” and “1923” prequels.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 too 10, “Marshals” is a generic, spinoff 6, renewed for a second season and streaming on Paramount+.
Susan Granger is a product of Hollywood. Her natural father, S. Sylvan Simon, was a director and producer at M.G.M. and Columbia Pictures. Her adoptive father, Armand Deutsch, produced movies at M.G.M.
As a child, Susan appeared in movies with Abbott & Costello, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Margaret O’Brien, and Lassie. She attended Mills College in California, studying journalism with Pierre Salinger, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism.