Shocking 'Yellowstone' Character Death Was Do To Extremely Unexpected Reason
Kelsey Asbille starred as Monica for five seasons on "Yellowstone."
Monica's death in "Marshals" happened for a reason fans likely would never guess.
The "Yellowstone" spinoff focused on Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) is currently airing on CBS with mixed reactions.
The show's rating on Rotten Tomatoes is terrible, but judging from the emails I've received from readers, there is a significant portion of fans enjoying it.
"Marshals" is a new "Yellowstone" spinoff airing on CBS that follows Kayce Dutton following the events of the original series. (Credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS)
Monica was killed off on "Marshals" for legal reasons.
One of the biggest storylines is "Marshals" emerged in the series premiere, when it was revealed Monica (Kelsey Asbille) was killed off. The character died due to having cancer.
The death shocked and also confused fans. There were signs ahead of time that Asbille wasn't returning, but I'm not sure anyone saw Monica's death coming in that fashion.
Now, a new report from Puck shines a light on why it had to happen, and it had little to nothing to do with the actual story.
It had to do with streaming.
Kelsey Asbille starred as Monica Dutton for all five seasons of "Yellowstone." The character was killed off in the series premiere of "Marshals." (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic via Getty Images)
The original streaming deal for "Yellowstone" requires it to be streamed on Peacock. The spinoffs all stream on Paramount+.
The outlet reported "differentiation was partly why they killed her off in the pilot" in order to ensure the show wasn't seen as a continuation of "Yellowstone."
The "differentiation" allows it to be a standalone spinoff allowed to air on Paramount+. Puck further reported "NBCU hasn’t raised a fuss about" the series.
So, the strategy seems to have worked, as "Marshals" currently streams on Paramount+.
"Yellowstone" fans were very confused by Monica's death in "Marshals." The reason reportedly was tied to streaming rights. (Credit: Paramount Network)
What do you think of Monica being killed off? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.