Marshals: The Real Reason Why The Yellowstone Spin-Off Killed Monica Dutton

While it might have looked like a plot twist intended to breathe new life into its central storyline, it turns out there's a surprisingly complex reason for the sad fate of Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille) in "Marshals," the "Yellowstone" spin-off starring Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes). Apparently, the character didn't die so that the show could pursue fresh romantic horizons for Kayce. Instead, it was potential streaming rights issues that did Monica in. 

Per Matthew Belloni of Puck News, the streaming rights to "Yellowstone" were sold to Peacock before the show blew up and the contract requires any continuation of "Yellowstone" to stream on NBCUniversal's app. Any spin-offs that are planned to end up on Paramount+ need to thoroughly differentiate themselves from their originator. This is why Monica was killed off; to ensure that "Marshals" feels unique and separate from "Yellowstone." 

According to Belloni, NBC has not complained about the way "Marshals" uses multiple "Yellowstone" characters besides Kayce, like Tate Dutton (Brecken Merrill) and Mo (Mo Brings Plenty), so the changes made were clearly sufficient. It's a hard one to take for fans of Monica, but she appears to have been sacrificed so "Marshals" could legally go ahead.

Matthew Belloni reports that Paramount hired an entire team of lawyers to make sure that "Dutton Ranch" stands apart from "Yellowstone." No matter how violent, family-obsessed, land-hungry, and rough-and-tumble those previews make the series out to be, it must cut its own swathe through the prime time landscape as a fresh face on the schedule. This might be why Rip (Cole Hauser), Beth (Kelly Reilly), and their quasi-adopted son Carter (Finn Little) move from Montana to Texas in search of a new life in "Dutton Ranch." Apparently, both sides are happy with how this balancing act came off in the final product.

All of this legal fussing might continue for quite some time: Taylor Sheridan, creator of the "Yellowstone" universe, will take his talents to NBCUniversal in 2028 when his Paramount deal expires. However, Paramount will keep legal possession of "Marshals," "1883," all of the other "Yellowstone" spin-offs and prequels, and any other series Sheridan has created for them. That means any future outings featuring members of the Dutton family tree or the Norris brood of "Landman" fame will exclusively stream on Paramount+ and air on Paramount Network and CBS. It's certainly a tangled legal web. Let's hope it doesn't lead to any more characters being killed off.