Marshals is off to a strong start.
The Luke Grimes-led series is the first of the several Yellowstone spin-offs in the works to finally premiere, with a Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser-led spin-off as well as The Madison still to come.
And upon the CBS series’ premiere March 1, fans of Yellowstone were quick to prove just how much they have missed the mothership’s universe.
Marshals’ viewership
Paramount, in a statement, confirmed days after the premiere that it drew a whopping 9.52 million viewers, per Nielsen numbers.
It’s a huge milestone for the network, as the show swiftly became the most-watched new scripted series premiere without a football lead-in since 2018, when FBI premiered in September of that year.
It is also now officially the most watched new series premiere of the 2025-26 broadcast season, and exhibited an impressive 99% retention from the first half-hour to the second.
© Getty ImagesThe second most-watched broadcast of the week was Justin Hartley’s Tracker, which is currently in its third season and aired right after Marshals, and had 8.29 million viewers; the episode viewership was up +3% from its fall average. 60 Minutes was third most watched.
How it compares
The last major Yellowstone premiere was the premiere of its fifth and final season in November 2022, which set a high bar at 8.8 million L+SD viewers. That season aired nine episodes through January 2023, before it returned for an additional six episodes aired between November and December 2024. The finale in December 2024 drew a record-breaking 11.4 million viewers.
The Yellowstone universe has become an expansive franchise, which includes the prequels 1883, which aired for one season between 2021 and 2022, and 1923, which aired for two seasons between 2022 to 2025.
© FilmMagicThe premiere of 1883, which starred country singers and real-life couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, drew 3.8 million viewers on its first night, while its 90-minute finale drew 2.4 million viewers.
Meanwhile, the premiere of 1923, which starred Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford, drew 7.4 million viewers across linear telecasts, and its finale drew a massive 14 million viewers globally in its first seven days of availability.
© ShutterstockSpin-offs still to come
Also in the works for the Yellowstone franchise are the tentatively tilted The Dutton Ranch, which will continue Beth and Rip’s story, as well as The Madison, which features a whole new slate of characters, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell, and Patrick J. Adams, among others. The latter premieres March 14.
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