WHILE THE LATEST<\/strong> massive hit series from CBS, Marshals<\/em>\u2014the most-watched<\/u><\/a> new TV series of 2026 so far\u2014is technically a spin-off of the ever-expanding Yellowstone<\/em><\/a>universe, it\u2019s a crime procedural at its core. We follow Dutton son Kayce as he joins the U.S. Marshals of Montana, and are quickly thrown into a high-octane action environment, complete with explosions and shootouts and all. However thrilling it might be, the escalating body count and questionable ethics of Special Deputy U.S. Marshal Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes<\/a>) begs the question: What does a U.S. Marshal do, exactly?<\/p>\n To answer our nagging questions and fact-check some oddities in Marshals<\/em><\/a>, we went straight to the source: retired<\/u><\/a> Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Larry Homenick, 77, who had an illustrious career in the Marshals Service\u2014the country\u2019s oldest federal law enforcement agency. That goes all the way back to 1789, when it was established as the enforcement arm of the federal courts. From his start in 1972 to his retirement in 2000 (28 years of service), Homenick worked for the agency in different capacities and in different offices, from Washington, DC, to Los Angeles, to Denver, to Houston, to the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), and back to Denver.<\/p>\n Early in his career, he was tasked with sequestering the so-called White House \u201cplumbers\u201d<\/a>who broke into Watergate during the Nixon era, keeping them confined in military barracks alongside \u201cthe heroin smugglers of fame from The French Connection<\/em>,\u201d Homenick says. He recaptured Christopher Boyce, the American spy convicted for selling government secrets to the Soviet Union(watch The Falcon and the Snowman<\/em><\/a>if you haven\u2019t) after he had escaped prison. He also once caught an American fugitive featured on America\u2019s Most Wanted <\/em>in Belize. Homenick spent many hours with Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, transporting him from jail to the courthouse (\u201cActually, he really was a nice young man,\u201d Homenick says of McVeigh). Which is all to say: When it comes to all things U.S. Marshals, Larry Homenick is in the know.<\/p>\n He also feels strongly about Marshals. <\/em>\u201cI haven’t missed an episode,\u201dHomenick says. But he does have notes.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t want to disappoint you,\u201d he says. \u201cBut as someone who was in that line of work for 28 years, and worked at the highest levels in the agency, I find it to be just a fantasy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFantasy\u201d is not exactly a surprising description for a CBS crime series. So, it might be easier to start with what in the show is <\/em>accurate to the real-life Marshals service. Kayce is initially recruited by his old Navy SEALs pal Cal (Logan Marshall-Green). In an uncanny connection, Homenick himself was brought into the job by a friend and fellow Army veteran from his time as a military policeman in Vietnam.<\/p>\n \u201cHe called me one day and he said, \u2018Hey, do you want to be a U.S. Marshal?\u201d Homenick recalls. \u201cI said, \u2018What is a U.S. Marshal?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Kayce has a similar fish-out-of-water experience as he\u2019s quickly introduced to the Montana Marshals office run by Cal.<\/p>\n What else feels realistic? Marshals do<\/em>, in fact, have an enormous amount of leeway in their law enforcement. \u201cWe have more statute authority\u201d than any other federal agency, Homenick notes. Per 28 U.S. Code \u00a7 564, “Powers as sheriff,” Marshals can exercise the same powers as a state sheriff when executing federal laws within a state.<\/p>\n The main work of most Marshals, however, is actually quite boring. New Marshals will generally work in courts and jails, transporting prisoners in federal custody. If they\u2019re lucky enough to advance and specialize, as Homenick did, they might capture fugitives both in the U.S. and abroad.<\/p>\n The plainclothes style of the Marshals depicted in the series is true enough. In much of his work, Homenick stuck to a suit. But in rural Montana, the cowboy hats \u201ccan be justified, because they’re in that environment.\u201d<\/p>\n Also, the horses are not simply a Yellowstone <\/em>ranch holdover. Marshals riding on horseback is plausible, Homenick confirms.<\/p>\n \u201cThe one thing that gives any semblance of reality is where they’re located,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are suboffices that might be 200 miles from the main office. And they pretty much operate on their own. But they don’t operate to the extent of what that show is. Many times you’re scouting in very dense and desolate places. And so it\u2019s practical to have a horse. I give them a pass on that.\u201d<\/p>\n Homenick considers the way Kayce becomes a Marshal (a quick chat with Cal, who immediately hands him a badge\u2014done deal) and his trigger-happy firearm habits to be among a number of major inaccuracies in Marshals<\/em>.<\/p>\n The on-the-spot issuing of a Marshal badge? That does not fly with Homenick. \u201cNo background investigation. And he\u2019s out shooting up people with no real legal authority. He was not sworn in,\u201d he says. \u201cThat just galls me.\u201d<\/p>\n The outrageous number of bullets flying? Not quite true to real life.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 28 years, I arrested hundreds of dangerous fugitives throughout the L.A. area and other places around the United States,\u201d Homenick says. \u201cI never shot my weapon once.\u201d A partner of his did once shoot at a fleeing fugitive, he says. \u201cThankfully, he didn’t hit him, but we captured him later that evening on the roof of a church.\u201d<\/p>\n The gun was a necessity. But shooting is rare. \u201cIf I had any uncertainty about the person I was looking for or going to arrest, I always did it with my gun in my hand.\u201d<\/p>\n The over-the-top weekly body count also doesn\u2019t ring true to Homenick\u2019s experience.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s so unrealistic that in every episode, they kill multiple people,\u201d Homenick says. \u201cIf you discharge a firearm, you have to write a report. And, of course, that’s never done [on Marshals<\/em>]. There’s a lot of relaxation when it comes to protocols.\u201d<\/p>\n Real Marshals may very well help in operations capturing drug dealers and gang members, as seen on Marshals<\/em>. Except on the show, it can seem like other federal agencies such as the FBI and DEA have disappeared.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you’re going out on what you know to be a big drug bust, you’re going to invite and get the DEA to come with you, if not take over, and you provide the backup,\u201d Homenick adds.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also some physical differences as well. Marshals aren\u2019t always quite as hunky and tall as Luke Grimes and Logan Marshall-Green (who are both around 6\u20190\u2019\u2019), though we\u2019ll chalk that up to smart Hollywood casting.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m a little guy,\u201d Homenick notes. \u201cI’m only five-foot-eight.\u201d .<\/p>\n The frat house vibe of the Marshals office on the TV series, with a punching bag and slouchy sofas, also doesn\u2019t sit well with Homenick.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Denver I had a gym for our office, but it was downstairs and it was a standalone gym. You weren’t just hanging on the couch while someone was boxing,\u201d he says. Here Homenick pauses. He softens his perspective on this unprecedented show spotlighting an often overlooked law enforcement agency that has been around almost as long as the nation itself.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t want to be too hard,\u201d he admits. \u201cI do enjoy watching the show, just because it’s so outrageous.\u201d<\/p>\n What he likes about the show, beyond head-turning twists and gunfire, is that it explores Marshals beyond outdated stereotypes. In the past, Marshals in pop culture were generally depicted as over-the-hill ex-police (Like the Rooster Cogburn character in True Grit<\/em>), he recalls.<\/p>\n \u201cI just hate that. [Marshals<\/em>] shows that there’s much more to it than that. There’s been a number of [newer] TV shows based on the Marshals. Justified<\/em><\/a>was all about U.S. Marshals. So we’ve started to get recognition and appreciation and understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n Homenick is nothing if not proud of his service as a U.S. Marshal. That extends to his viewing experience.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a little over the top, but at least we’re getting known,\u201d he says. \u201cI love the exposure, as do other people I\u2019ve talked to in the Marshals service.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cI Give Them a Pass on That\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cIt’s So Unrealistic That in Every Episode, They Kill Multiple People\u201d<\/h2>\n
![\"Marshals\"](\"https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/hmg-prod\/images\/641f738f-6093-46b1-8156-afa8408aa499.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*\" "\\"Marshals\\"")
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\u201cThat\u2019s an insult to the real Marshals service to see that.\u201d<\/p>\nA Show of Appreciation for the U.S. Marshals<\/h2>\n