In an exclusive interview with ScreenRant, Spencer Hudnut offered insight into the critical reception of Marshals, which follows Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) as he joins a U.S. Marshals unit. The series has become an outlier in the otherwise critically robust Yellowstone universe, marking the lowest Rotten Tomatoes scores for both critics and audiences across the entire franchise.

Hudnut acknowledged seeing the reviews, stating that "some people weren't fully on board in our understanding of what the mission of this show was." He emphasized that Marshals was always conceived as a CBS broadcast procedural, a significant departure from the serialized, streaming-first drama of its parent series. This fundamental difference, he suggests, set up expectations that the show was never meant to fulfill for viewers anticipating "the next season of Yellowstone."

Unlike other Yellowstone entries that premiered on Paramount+, Marshals moved to a traditional broadcast network, influencing its episodic structure and pacing. While Yellowstone season 1 also received a 'rotten' critic score of 58%, its audience score soared to 82%, indicating a disconnect between professional critics and viewers. Marshals, however, stands alone in receiving a unanimous thumbs-down from both critics and audiences, with its 48% and 28% scores, respectively, being unprecedented for the franchise.

Despite the critical drubbing, Marshals found considerable success with its target viewership, leading to a swift renewal for a second season shortly after its premiere. Hudnut noted a positive shift among some initially critical viewers who "stuck with the show... and stuck all the way through through the end of the season, were kind of pleased with the progression of the show."

For Hudnut, balancing creative vision with external feedback is part of the job. He affirmed that while writers are inherently aware of public opinion, it's crucial to filter out the noise. "As a writer and an artist, you definitely are aware of what people are saying, but you got to tune it out," he remarked, adding that this comes "with the territory of being in the CBS box."

Looking ahead, Marshals season 2 aims to further solidify its unique identity. Hudnut confirmed plans to incorporate legal drama through Thomas Rainwater's storyline, as he travels to Washington, D.C. to fight a mining threat. The upcoming season will also see the return of Jefferson White as fan-favorite Jimmy Hurdstrom in a recurring role, maintaining connections to the broader Yellowstone universe while forging its own path. While crossovers with other spinoffs like Dutton Ranch (starring Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler) remain a possibility, Marshals is clearly focused on building on the foundation Hudnut believes it was always meant to lay.

Marshals season 2 is set to premiere on October 4 on CBS.