One of the most popular TV franchises ever exceeded its previous limits as CBS’s Marshals became the most-watched show across all TV platforms. Kevin Costner starred as cattle magnate John Dutton in the original series, which ended in 2024 with Season 5 of Yellowstone. Marshals is Yellowstone’s first sequel, with Luke Grimes returning as Kayce Dutton as he joins the US Marshals.
Although it’s the lowest-rated Yellowstone series on Rotten Tomatoes, Marshals has attracted the most attention. The debut on March 1 drew 9.52 million viewers, making it the most-watched new scripted series on network TV and Yellowstone’s biggest premiere. Since then, the CBS series has continued to grow in popularity.
Yellowstone’s Streaming Era Comes to an End With Marshals
Per Variety, Marshals tracked as the most-watched series across all television, both broadcast and streaming. According to Nielsen’s season-to-date 28-day multi-platform viewership, as shared with CBS, its debut has garnered 26.5 million viewers, making it the second-most-watched series of the season, behind Stranger Things’ final season, which amassed 30.6 million viewers over the same time span.
The numbers for Marshals put a broadcast show in direct competition with streaming giants, proving the end of Yellowstone’s former limitations while it remains a television institution. While Marshals’ impressive viewership, based on the premiere episode, could change as more installments roll out, what Yellowstone has accomplished is a massive feat for CBS and network TV.
Marshals’ widespread popularity is a testament to the fact that a subscription-based franchise can be reformatted for broadcast and still attract a massive audience. Created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, Yellowstone aired on the Paramount Network and was available to stream on Peacock. It requires a cable subscription or Peacock Premium to access.
With Marshals being the exception, Yellowstone’s spinoffs are made for streaming, with its prequels, 1883 and 1923, debuting on Paramount+. Yellowstone also premiered another spinoff, Dutton Ranch, which focuses on Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, with Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser reprising their roles. It, too, streams on Paramount+, making Marshals Yellowstone’s most accessible show.
Marshals Dominated Network TV
What Marshals has proven with its CBS success is that the Yellowstone franchise is platform-proof, proving it can thrive outside of streaming. It may even be a sign that franchise-driven, procedural-style spinoffs are broadcast TV’s best path forward in an increasingly crowded entertainment landscape, giving networks hope for the future if they lean into the right IP. That said, despite all the reasons Yellowstone fans hate Marshals, the franchise’s procedural shift is ironically the reason it has caught on with CBS audiences. Therefore, Marshals offers a blueprint for survival, leveraging established franchises and adapting them for broader audiences. That benefits Yellowstone as well, as it reaches both streaming and network audiences in one fell swoop.
Marshals’ viewership means that the franchise has blurred the lines between streaming and broadcast success with its new distribution strategy. It’s a sign that platform matters less when a property has the prowess of Yellowstone, with its proven format and reach. In other words, despite the freshman drama’s drawbacks, many viewers are invested in the Dutton family’s continuing story.
CBS renewed the drama after just two episodes, but it’s too soon to say how Marshals Season 2 will hold up. Dutton Ranch’s premiere also provided context for Yellowstone’s future, offering a comparison to its network success. Sheridan’s other recent Paramount+ series, like Landman starring Billy Bob Thornton, have become some of the streaming landscape’s most popular shows, and interest in what’s next for Beth and Rip in Texas continues that trend.
