festus was the lovable deputy to marshal matt dillon and quickly became a fan favorite for his unique personality and humor. However, in 1975, ken curtis made the decision to. festus haggen (played by ken curtis) is matt dillon's deputy marshal and one of the main characters of gunsmoke who would first appear in the season 8 episode us haggens. one primary motivation for festus’ replacement was simply keeping gunsmoke fresh; After eight seasons, producers felt it required change for relevance;
