It’s been a long and twisty road to Broken Rock Reservation for Yellowstone‘s Kayce Dutton, who is played by Luke Grimes in the new Paramount+ spin-off, Marshals: A Yellowstone Story.

While fans were gutted not to see the original series continue, they were treated to a spin-off that sees John Dutton’s son, Kayce, leave his family’s ranch and journey to pastures new by joining the US Marshals.

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Luke Grimes and Kelsey Asbille as Kayce and Monica in Yellowstone

But while Kayce sets off with his son, Tate, in tow, the new series doesn’t come without some major changes – and one that even Luke had a hard time coming to grips with initially.

In the first episode, viewers were shocked to see that Kayce’s wife, Monica Dutton, played by Kelsey Asbille, is killed off, prompting Kayce to start a new life without her.

Luke Grimes’ reaction

Speaking to Radio Times about the narrative decision, Luke said: “My first gut reaction was, ‘I hate that idea’. It just didn’t even compute. There was no Kayce without Monica. That was their whole arc – this Romeo and Juliet love story. They were two halves that made the whole so I couldn’t even wrap my head around it at first.”

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Luke couldn’t comprehend the new show without Kelsey

Reflecting on his own “close” personal relationship with Kelsey, Luke found it difficult to comprehend the show without her. However, after some time to think – and with Kelsey’s blessing – he realised it was essential for Kayce’s story to grow.

“I realised that’s the motivation for everything that follows,” he said of Monica’s death. “That’s literally the core of this series: how does a guy get up and dust himself off after losing the most important person in his life and find a new purpose? That’s what the whole show is.”

What happens in Marshals: A Yellowstone Story?

The official synopsis reads: “With the Yellowstone Ranch behind him, Dutton joins an elite unit of U.S. Marshals, combining his skills as a cowboy and Navy SEAL to bring range justice to Montana, where he and his teammates must balance family, duty and the high psychological cost that comes with serving as the last line of defense in the region’s war on violence.”

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Marshals: A Yellowstone Story is on Paramount+

Who stars in Marshals: A Yellowstone Story?

While Kelsey Asbille may be absent as Monica Dutton, there are plenty of familiar faces – both old and new – in the Yellowstone spin-off.

Logan Marshall-Green stars as Pete “Cal” Calvin, while Ash Santos is Andrea Santos, Arielle Kebbel plays Belle Skinner, Tatanka Means is Miles Kittle, Brett Cullen is Harry Gifford and Ellyn Jameson is Dolly Weaver.

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Brecken Merrill, Mo Brings Plenty, Logan Marshall-Green, Gil Birmingham, Arielle Kebbel, Luke Grimes, Ash Santos and Tatanka Means

Rounding out the cast are Yellowstone favourites Brecken Merrill as Tate, Mo Brings Plenty as Mo and Gil Birmingham as Thomas Rainwater.