“Marshals” has continued the “Yellowstone” story via a CBS procedural that sees Luke Grimes’ Kayce Dutton join an elite group of U.S. Marshals. Greg Yaitanes directed the first two episodes of season 1 and also serves as an executive producer. Evidently, he was immediately impressed when reading the pilot script, telling IndieWire that the debut episode was so “elevated” he couldn’t believe it was airing on a broadcast network.

Yaitanes is a veteran of the TV directing game, having worked on everything from “Prison Break” to the “CSI” series, and even winning an Emmy for his work on “House.” Later in his career, he moved to prestige series, directing the “House of the Dragon” season finale,  which was the best episode since the show’s first big-time jump. On top of that, he’s also overseeing several episodes of the upcoming “Yellowstone” spin-off, “Dutton Ranch,” which looks set to fix one of the biggest complaints about “Marshals.” It seems viewers don’t think Grimes’ new procedural feels like a true “Yellowstone” sequel series, but that’s far from their only complaint.

One swift glance at the “Marshals” subreddit reveals a nonstop flood of grievances, with viewers critiquing everything from the writing to the performances. Sure, Reddit isn’t indicative of the public’s overall reaction to the series, and with “Marshals” already renewed for a second season, people are clearly watching this show. But it would be inaccurate to say that “Marshals” debuted to unmitigated adoration without a hint of controversy. As far as Yaitanes is concerned, however, the show is top-quality stuff.

Director Greg Yaitanes couldn’t believe Marshals was a network show

Luke Grimes’ new procedural got off to a rough start. Not only did “Marshals” completely waste its action-vet guest star Chad Michael Collins, but it also killed off a controversial “Yellowstone” character in the worst way possible. Heck, even Grimes admitted to being shocked by the death of Kelsey Asbille’s Monica Dutton. If you ask Greg Yaitanes, however, the “Marshals” pilot was a triumph.

In his interview with IndieWire, the director recalled his surprise at learning the show was written for CBS rather than the Paramount+ streaming service. “When I read the script, I didn’t know it was going to be a broadcast pilot,” Yaitanes said. “That’s how elevated I thought it was.” The director didn’t specify which aspects of the teleplay felt so “elevated,” but he did speak about being drawn in by the relationship between Kayce Dutton and his son, Tate Dutton (Brecken Merrill).

Kayce, Monica, and Tate were ostensibly given a happy ending when they left the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch behind and headed for an area of land known as East Camp. Here, they seemed to have found a place where they could enjoy the peace for which they’d been searching throughout five drama-filled seasons of “Yellowstone.” But when “Marshals” debuted and confirmed that Monica had died, it was clear the drama was set to continue, leaving Kayce to raise Tate alone. It was this that Yaitanes found so compelling.

Marshals has more ‘elevating’ to do before it’s as good as Greg Yaitanes claims

In his IndieWire interview, Greg Yaitanes spoke about being drawn into “Marshals” by the relationship between Kayce and Tate Dutton. “I can’t direct anything if I don’t find an emotional hook that pulls me in,” he said. “Having been a single dad to two sons, it was a story I could relate to and connect to, with that feeling that you’re in a time in your life where you’re trying to make peace, but things keep confronting you.”

It’s heartening to hear that one of the most important creatives on the show identified so closely with the material. But it is a little jarring to hear that a veteran of the TV industry found the “Marshals” pilot to be “elevated.” One of the most common complaints leveled at this series is that it so obviously overhauls the “Yellowstone” formula to fit the procedural paradigm. That was evident in the debut episode, which featured clunky writing and awkward exposition the likes of which wouldn’t have flown on “Yellowstone” or any Taylor Sheridan series, for that matter. Sure, the prolific writer frequently pens ridiculous moments of melodrama, but the writing in “Marshals” was rougher and much less enjoyable, clearly belaying the series’ network TV origins.

What’s more, the relationship between Kayce and Tate would make for a compelling emotional center, but episode 3 of “Marshals” proved this show has no idea what it’s about. Kayce and his son’s relationship hasn’t been a focus since that first episode, and given its importance, it feels as though it should be a bigger part of the series. P