Riley Green’s stint as Garrett on cowboy television drama Marshals lasted just four episodes.
He made a big impression on the cast and crew, even sending gifts after filming finished.
Cast members were sad when they learned his character’s fate.
Country music heartthrob Riley Green wooed the cast and crew of CBS’ Marshals during his run as the character Garrett — especially the women.
Talking to People, Ash Santos, who plays Andrea, explained that everyone on set was disappointed when they heard that Riley would be leaving the show after just four episodes.
“We had people on our crew who were so upset with [showrunner] Spencer [Hudnut] for weeks when they got that episode,” the Marshals actress admits. “Our hair-and-makeup team, especially, those women loved him.”
Spoiler alert: Riley’s character Garrett — a troubled ex-Navy SEAL who comes to Montana and seeks out his old friend, Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), as a support system — ultimately dies after being trapped in a barn fire on Kayce’s ranch. Had it been up to the “Worst Way” singer, he would have gotten a few more episodes.
“He joked, he was like, ‘Damn, I was really hoping I’d stick around longer,’ and we were like, ‘With your schedule? You're always at some concert,’” Ash recounts. Her character Andrea and Riley’s character Garrett had just ignited a romantic flame that blew out as fast as it came, but the mustachioed country-singing cowboy apparently left a long-lasting impression in real life.
“He's very sweet,” Ash tells People. “He was so kind to our cast and our crew. The day that he wrapped, he was flying out — he was performing in a show that night — and while he was getting in the car, he was already having flowers delivered for the hair-and-makeup team to say thank you.”
Marshals Season 1 wrapped on May 24. All of the episodes of the latest Yellowstone spinoff can be streamed via Paramount+.
To say Riley Green is busy this year is an understatement: The country star has tour dates on his calendar from now until November, with some already trickling into 2027. He’s booked for some of the genre’s biggest summer festivals, like Country Jam USA and CMA Fest, and he’s even agreed to perform at Alan Jackson’s finale concert in Nashville next month. Mix in the various awards shows and filming The Voice, and this fella’s day job has his schedule pretty loaded up.
Should Riley want to make acting more than a hobby, expect to see him onstage less — but it wouldn’t be a huge leap for him to dabble more in the future. Ash echoes what others like Luke Grimes have said previously, that Riley is really a natural onscreen.
“It was easy for him, and it definitely showed on screen. He has a natural ability,” she says. “I think when you're an artist, you are so in tune in that way creatively that it makes it easy to pivot into something else. And then when you're a singer, you're telling stories all the time with your songs.”
Of course, Garrett also played country music during his short stay in Montana.
Amanda Hensel Jermstad is a skilled writer based in Austin, Texas. She spent 14 years as Editor-in-Chief of Taste of Country, where she led coverage of the artists, stories and trends shaping country music. With a career deeply rooted in the genre, Amanda has built a reputation for sharp editorial insight and authentic storytelling. Outside of work, she’s a proud mom of three.
