Will “Marshals” Fans Ever See Monica Dutton Again? – The Showrunner Shares His Thoughts
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If you haven’t been keeping up with Marshals, be warned, there are spoilers ahead.
Season 1 of Marshals opened with the news that Kayce Dutton’s wife, Monica, had died. We learned that she developed cancer, which may have been caused by toxic substances that had been dumped in a mine on the Broken Rock Reservation.
Monica was played by Kelsey Asbille across all five seasons of Marshals‘ predecessor, Yellowstone.
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Asbille “was unavailable” to film Marshals, so Monica was written out of the show. In turn, her death gave Kayce Dutton the push to do something different with his life, leading him to join the Marshals.
RELATED: WHAT HAPPENED TO KELSEY ASBILLE, THE ACTRESS WHO PLAYED MONICA ON “YELLOWSTONE”?
But will Yellowstone fans ever see Monica again? Believe it or not, they may.
Spencer Hudnut, Marshals‘ showrunner, recently spoke to PEOPLE about the series. He shared his thoughts about bringing Monica back (presumably) in a flashback or dream scene.
“I’m definitely open [to] that,” Hudnut said.
He added, “I would love to work with [Kelsey Asbille]. I don’t have any relationship with her, so I have no idea what her point of view would be on that.”
Although Hudnut thinks it would be “interesting” for viewers to see Monica again, he knows reintroducing her will be a delicate thing. Especially since Kayce is starting to let loose a little more with the Marshals, and may even have a new love interest.
“I think you have to be very careful about the timing of doing that,” Hudnut said about bringing Monica back. “The character of Monica will always be with Kayce. She’s, I think, guiding him still.”
The Actor Who Plays Monica Dutton’s Son Shares What It’s Like Without Her On Marshals
Brecken Merrill is the young actor who’s played Kayce and Monica Dutton’s son, Tate, since Yellowstone debuted in 2018. He was 10 when the show premiered, and he’s now 18.
After working closely with Kelsey Asbille for years, Merrill was devastated when he learned she wouldn’t be on Marshals. He told PEOPLE:
“Kelsey was one of my favorite people to have on set. I was just sad that she couldn’t make it to Marshals. I was heartbroken.”
Understandably, Monica’s death was hard on both Kayce and Tate. During Season 1, there was a bit of a wedge between them as they each grieved her passing in their own way.
The tension between father and son has carried over into Season 2, but for a different reason. Now that he’s older, Tate is developing a deeper understanding of his family’s dark past…and he’s also getting tossed into the middle of some dangerous situations.
Luke Grimes, who plays Kayce, previously shared how everything will be a little “strained” between him and Tate in Season 2. See how their relationship changes in the next episodes of Marshals, which (usually) air on Sundays at 8 PM ET on CBS.
In the meantime, revisit some of Tate’s best moments from Yellowstone in the video below.
