Mo & Rainwater’s Secret Agenda For Kayce’s Marshals Job Explained By Returning Yellowstone Star

After Yellowstone‘s series finale, Marshals acts as both a spinoff and a sequel series that continues to follow the stories of Kayce, Mo (Mo Brings Plenty), Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham), and Tate Dutton (Brecken Merrill). In the spinoff’s pilot episode, Kayce joins the U.S. Marshals, with Mo and Rainwater helping to push him toward this decision.

In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Grant Hermanns, Brings Plenty was asked about why Mo and Rainwater wanted Kayce to join the Marshals in the first place. The actor explained that Mo and Rainwater want to have an ally, with Kayce and Deputy U.S. Marshal Miles Kittle (Tatanka Means) helping to create a bridge between the reservation and the Marshals. Check out Brings Plenty’s comments below:

Well, the reason why they pushed him into that position is because it is about having an ally there. And Kayce, since the passing of Monica due to cancer, has to step into that role to fill that void for his son. So we still have Rainwater’s adopted brother, and a great brotherhood between Mo and Kayce, as well. It was about having an ally. It was about having a voice and ears that Rainwater can talk to, and a set of eyes, and having the knowing, and just trying to build that relationship. So, Kayce and Miles (Tatanka Means) both are that catalyst, or the bridge between the reservation and access to the U.S. Marshals.

As opposed to any kind of nefarious agenda, Mo and Rainwater’s reasons for wanting Kayce as a Marshal are well-intentioned, both on a personal level and for the good of the reservation. Along with these long-term goals and a positive relationship with Mo, being in this position is part of Kayce having to step up as a parental figure after the death of his wife Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille), both for himself and for the sake of their son, Tate.

The pilot episode where Mo and Rainwater push Kayce toward the Marshals brought in massive viewership on CBS, receiving an average of 9.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen. This is better than any scripted broadcast series premiere has performed on CBS in the last seven years, not including shows that aired directly after an NFL game on the network. Across multiple platforms, including CBS and Paramount+, it amassed 20.6 million viewers in the first seven days. The impressive debut has already led to a season 2 renewal.

Despite the dominant viewership numbers, Marshals‘ reviews have been mixed. As of this writing, it holds a 44% critics’ score and 30% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. In ScreenRant‘s review, Ana Dumaraog is more positive than the majority of critics and highlights the show’s potential, writing that “Marshals is a great addition to the 2025-2026 TV cycle” and “The show can prove that non-Dutton characters can thrive in this setting, and it will allow CBS to continue exploring other offshoot options.”

In addition to Kayce, Mo, Rainwater, Tate, and Miles, Marshals‘ cast of characters features Pete Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green), Belle Skinner (Arielle Kebbel), Andrea Cruz (Ash Santos), Henry Gifford (Brett Cullen), and Maddie (Morgan Lindholm). The show was created by Spencer Hudnut, who is also the showrunner. Taylor Sheridan is an executive producer and the story is part of the universe he created, although he did not direct or write any episodes of the spinoff.

Marshals releases new episodes Sundays at 8:00 pm ET on CBS and Paramount+.