It's Officially The Start Of An Era For Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe has entered a new era, and this one might be even more successful than the last. Since 2018 and the premiere of Yellowstone on Paramount+, Taylor Sheridan’s TV shows have dominated ratings and the pop culture conversations.

Whether it’s with a show like 1923, explicitly set in the Yellowstone universe, or something separate, like Landman, Sheridan has proven over and over why he should be considered among the top showrunners in television, along with Dick Wolf, Shonda Rhimes, and Ryan Murphy.

The end of Yellowstone and the unexpected departure of Kevin Costner in 2024 did nothing to slow down the momentum of the franchise or of Sheridan’s career. Since then, he’s created three original series and helped produce two more shows that are spinoffs of Yellowstone: Dutton Ranch and Marshals.

Marshals is the first Taylor Sheridan show to be broadcast. Sheridan’s partnership with Paramount is well known, and before Marshals, all his shows dropped on Paramount+ only. Now, you can watch Marshals on CBS on Sundays at 8 PM, or catch episodes the next day on Paramount+ when they are released to streaming.

This is a new era for Taylor Sheridan and Paramount, and the success of Marshals on broadcast may lead to other shows following a similar release schedule. And successful, Marshals is, ranking number 3 in viewership for 2025-2026, according to Nielsen (via Variety).

Marshals Is One Of The Most Watched Series Of 2025-2026

Logan Marshall-Green's Cal and Luke Grimes' Kayce looking intently at someone while holding their rifles in Marshals season 1

According to the Nielsen ranker, which takes in multi-platform viewing from across streaming, broadcast, and cable, Marshals has earned the third most viewers-per-episode out of any show for the past year, with 20.7 million. It’s important to note that Nielsen tracks viewership from mid-April to mid-April, so a show that releases episodes in May could see its viewership decrease.

Marshals does fall into that category, and with 20.7 million viewers-per-episode, it’s possible the show could drop under the number 4 series, Sean Combs: The Reckoning, with 20.6 million viewers after the season ends, but it’s at little risk of falling to the 5 spot beneath another Sheridan series, Landman, with 19.8 million viewers.

Shows Of 2025-2026, Total Viewers (35-Day Multiplatform) (Nielsen)
Rank	Title	Viewers (Millions)
1	Stranger Things (Netflix)	32.9
2	His & Hers (Netflix)	25.6
3	Marshals (CBS/ Paramount+)	20.7
4	Sean Combs: The Reckoning (Netflix)	20.6
5	Landman (Paramount+)	19.8

It’s been a fantastic year for Sheridan, and Marshals‘ incredible success on broadcasting suggests the Yellowstone universe could have a new shape post-Yellowstone. One focused on different characters, and one that appears on broadcast.

How Marshals Compares To The Rest Of The Yellowstone Universe

Marshals stars Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton, a former Navy SEAL who, after the events of Yellowstone, decides to join a group of U.S. Marshals tasked with protecting Montana. Kayce is also grieving his wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), and struggling to raise their son, Tate (Brecken Merrill), alone.

Unlike Yellowstone, Marshals is a smaller show, concerned with procedural elements, bearing a closer resemblance to other CBS crime shows like FBI and Blue Bloods. While season 1 seemed to be of enough interest for viewers, season 2 will really test if Marshals has legs in a crowded crime drama landscape.