Luke

This story contains spoilers for the pilot of “Marshals.”

When the curtain came down on “Yellowstone” last year, Kayce Dutton had finally found his happily-ever-after.

The youngest son of wealthy rancher John Dutton (Kevin Costner) had secured a modest cabin in a mountainous region where he could reside in secluded peace with his beloved wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), and son, Tate (Brecken Merrill), far from the turbulent dysfunction of his family.

“Kayce found his little peace of heaven, getting everything he ever wanted and fought for,” said Luke Grimes, who plays the soft-spoken Dutton in “Yellowstone.”

Grimes reprises the role in CBS’ “Marshals,” which premiered Sunday. But in the new series, Kayce’s serenity has been brutally shattered, forcing him to find a new path forward after an unimaginable tragedy.

The drama is the first of several planned spinoffs of “Yellowstone,” which became TV’s hottest scripted series during its five-season run. And while some familiar faces return and events unfold against the magnificent backdrop of towering mountains and lush greenery, “Marshals” is definitely not “Yellowstone” 2.0.

Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton in “Marshals,” which combines the gritty Western flavor of “Yellowstone” with the procedural genre.

(Sonja Flemming / CBS )

In “Marshals,” Kayce joins an elite squad of U.S. Marshals headed by his Navy SEAL teammate Pete Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green). The drama combines two distinct brands — the gritty Western flavor of “Yellowstone” with the procedural genre, a flagship of CBS’ prime-time slate.

During an interview at an exclusive club in downtown Los Angeles, Grimes expressed excitement about dusting off his cowboy hat and boots, though he admitted to having initial concerns about whether the project was a fit.

“I had never watched a procedural before, so I had to do some homework on what that was,” Grimes said hours before the gala premiere of “Marshals” at the Autry Museum of the American West in Griffith Park. “And I just couldn’t wrap my head around it at first. In the finale, Kayce had ridden off into the sunset. So I thought, ‘Let him be, let him go.’ ”

Those doubts eventually ebbed away.

“To be honest, there was a part of me that didn’t want to let Kayce go just yet,” Grimes said. “Saying goodbye to him was really hard, so the opportunity to keep this going was something I couldn’t pass up. We get to show his backstory and also this other side of him that we didn’t see in ‘Yellowstone.’ ”

But this Kayce is a man in crisis. “Yellowstone” devotees will likely be shocked by the “elephant in the room” — the revelation in the pilot episode that Monica has died of cancer. The couple’s sexy and loving chemistry was a key element in the series while also establishing Grimes as a heartthrob.

“I think fans will be upset — and they should be,” Grimes said as he looked downward. “Kayce is very upset. It’s the worst thing that could have happened to him. But as much as I’m really upset not to work with Kelsey, it’s a good idea for the show.”

He added, “His dream life is no longer available to him. Now the only thing he has is his son, who is not so sure he wants the same life as Kayce. A big part of the season is Kayce learning how to manage all these new things — new job, being a single father.”

“His dream life is no longer available to him. Now the only thing he has is his son, who is not so sure he wants the same life as Kayce,” said Luke Grimes about his character Kayce.

(Jay L. Clendenin / For The Times)

Executive producer and showrunner Spencer Hudnut (CBS’ “SEAL Team”) acknowledged in a separate interview that viewers may be stunned by the tragedy. “Real life intervenes for Kayce. Unfortunately it happens to so many of us.”

But he stressed that although Monica is physically gone, her presence will be heavily felt this season.

“She is guiding Kayce, and their relationship is moving forward,” Hudnut said. “His dealing with his inability to confront his grief is a big part of the season. It became clear that something horrible had to happen to put Kayce on a different path.”

As the development evolved, Grimes embraced the procedural concept: “This is a very different show and structure. This is an action show, very fast paced. I meet a lot of fans who say they really want to see Kayce go full Navy SEAL.”

Alumni from “Yellowstone” returning in “Marshals” include Gil Birmingham as tribal Chairman Thomas Rainwater and Mo Brings Plenty as his confidante Mo.

“Yellowstone” co-creator Taylor Sheridan, who had already spearheaded the prequels “1883” and “1923,” will further expand the “Yellowstone” universe later this month with “The Madison,” starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell, about a New York City family living in Montana’s Madison River territory. Later this year, Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser will star in “Dutton Ranch,” reprising their respective “Yellowstone” roles as John Dutton’s volcanic daughter Beth Dutton and her husband, boss ranch hand Rip Wheeler.

Hudnut said fans of “Yellowstone” will recognize themes that were central to that series: “The cost and consequences of violence, man versus nature, man versus man.”

“We’re trying to tap into what people loved about ‘Yellowstone’ but to tell the story in a different framework,” he said. “The procedural brand is obviously very successful for CBS. And nothing has been bigger than ‘Yellowstone.’ So the challenge is, how do you marry those things?”

Taking on the lead role prompted Grimes to reflect on how “Yellowstone” transformed his life after co-starring roles in films like “American Sniper” and “Fifty Shades of Grey” and playing a vampire in the TV series “True Blood.”

“‘Yellowstone’ changed my life in many, many ways,” he said. “The biggest change is that I now live where we shot the show in Montana. The first time I went there, I would have never thought I would ever live there.

“I would come back to the city after shooting. But a little bit more each year, I felt more out of place here, and more peace and at home there. I’m a big nature person — I never was a big city person, but I had to be here to do what I wanted. But after the third season, my wife and I decided to move there. We wanted to start a family.”

The topic of a Kayce spinoff kept coming up during the filming of the finale, but “meanwhile we were having a baby, so that was the biggest thing on my plate.”

“‘Yellowstone’ changed my life in many, many ways,” said Luke Grimes.

(Jay L. Clendenin/For The Times)

Grimes was also dealing with the off-screen drama that impacted production due to logistical and creative differences between Costner and Sheridan. Costner, who was the show’s biggest attraction, exited after filming the first part of the final season. His character was killed off.

Asked about the backstage tension, Grimes said, “I just tried to do my job to the best of my ability, and not get caught up in all that. It was sort of frustrating, but I felt lucky to have a job.”

He recalled getting a call from Sheridan about the plans for a spinoff: “He said, ‘I think you should talk to the guy who is going to be the showrunner. I’m not telling you to do it, and I’m not telling you not to do it. But Spencer is great and he has some good ideas.’ ”

Hudnut said Kayce “was always my favorite character. Also, Luke is not Kayce. Kayce is an amazing character, but Luke is really thoughtful and smart. He is a true artist and has an artist’s soul, while Kayce is kicking down doors and terrorizing people. And Luke has such a great presence. He can do so much with just a look to the camera. He is a true leading man.”

In addition to starring in “Marshals,” Grimes is also an executive producer. He pitched the opening sequence — a flashback showing Kayce in the battlefield. He also performs the song that plays over the final scene, in which he visits his wife’s grave. The ballad is from Grimes’ self-titled country album which was released last year.

“Luke’s creative fingerprints are all over the pilot,” Hudnut said.

Grimes said he does not feel pressure about being the first follow-up from “Yellowstone” to premiere.

“We’re not trying to make the same show, so no matter what happens, its a win-win,” he said. “I had a blast doing it.”

On the night the Lakers introduced the newly-acquired guard Luke Kennard, they also discuss relatively good news about Luka Doncic’s injury and how long he’ll be out.

The Lakers said Doncic was diagnosed with a mild left hamstring strain and will be listed as day-to-day, starting with Saturday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena.

The Lakers play Oklahoma Monday night and San Antonio Tuesday night before playing the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night. The NBA All-Star game follows on Feb. 15 and the Lakers don’t play again until Feb. 20 against the Clippers at home.

So, Lakers coach JJ Redick and president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka both were asked Saturday night if Doncic would be able to play in the all-star game or if it would be best for him to rest.

“I’ve been around him as a teammate and as a coach and I know he [loves to] plays. If he’s able to play, he plays. I think he wants to be in the all-star game,” Redick said. “I know he wants to play against Dallas, the game before the all-star game. He has his team working on him day and night. So again, it’s day to day and when he’s ready to play, we’ll get him out there.”

Doncic, who leads the NBA in scoring (32.8) and is second in assists (8.6), earned the most all-star game votes. In the new all-star game format of “U.S. vs. the World,” Doncic would play for the world team because he’s from Slovenia.

“Luka, one of his greatest qualities is when he has an injury or he’s unavailable for a game, he is deeply upset,” Pelinka, who spoke to the media for the first time since September. “He just can’t stand not playing basketball. He loves the game so much and wants to play every night. And that’s an incredible quality. Just a player who’s like fighting and clawing to play versus looking for a reason maybe not to. So we commend Luka for that. In terms of this injury, the good news is it doesn’t appear to be anything serious. It was a mild hamstring strain and he is truly day to day.”

Kennard didn’t waste any time making an impact for the Lakers during their game against the Warriors.

He drilled his first shot as a Laker, a high arching 25-foot three pointer with 2:23 left in the first quarter.

The shot was set up by Austin Reaves, giving Kennard a glimpse of what life will be like playing with the Lakers’ big three of LeBron James, Doncic and Reaves.

“Those guys attract so much attention to other teams on the offensive end and for me, it’s just spacing the floor, making the right plays at all times and just being aggressive out there,” Kennard said before the game about his role. “Coming off the bench and just looking to hunt my shot at all times. I know that’s what they want me to do as a team and the coaches and I’m looking forward to doing that.”

Etc.

Pelinka said the Lakers have a roster spot available and will look at the buy-out market to potentially find a player to add to the team. But, according to people with knowledge of the matter not authorized to discuss it publicly, the Lakers don’t have interest in Cam Thomas, a 6-foot-3 guard who was waived by the Brooklyn Nets.

“Yeah, so we have an open roster spot and we are in sort of active conversations with some players that are available now, doing our due diligence,” Pelinka said. “And then of course, to your point, players down the road could come in through the buyout market. So, we are evaluating that 15th roster spot and at some point probably will likely fill it.”

Luke Littler won the World Masters for the first time and became the joint-third most successful player in PDC history with a 6-5 win over Luke Humphries.

The teenager now has 11 major PDC titles, leaving him level with James Wade and behind only Michael van Gerwen (48) and Phil Taylor (79).

The win for Littler, which followed on from beating Gerwyn Price 5-4 in a terrific match in the semi-finals, has left the European Championship as the only major television PDC title still to be won by the two-time world champion.

A high-quality finale saw 25 maximums thrown as the lead changed hands multiple times before Littler eventually nailed his favourite double 10 to seal the £100,000 first prize.

After a semi-final that saw Price miss a match dart, Littler upped his level from the start. A stunning 153 checkout laid down the gauntlet to Humphries, but the world number two came into the final having beaten Gian van Veen 5-0 in the last four and continued in that form by winning the opening set.

Littler, who averaged 104.72 to Humphries’ 105.51 in the final, then powered into a 3-1 lead, hitting a 121 finish along the way. But Humphries did not want to concede the title he won last year and levelled the match.

With the score at 3-1 to the world champion, Humphries rallied with 10 and 13-dart legs on his way to levelling the match.

Littler missed three darts to move into a 5-3 lead and Humphries capitalised to level again before hitting his first 100-plus checkout on his way to moving one set away from another title.

But Littler was not done there. The 19-year-old reeled off legs in 13 and then 12 darts to force a deciding set.

A break of throw in the first leg of the deciding set gave Littler control and he did not let it slip. One dart at double 10 was all he needed to land his first World Masters title.

All four of the semi-finalists will be back in action when the 2026 Premier League starts in Newcastle on Thursday.