He’s a lone rider.
Taylor Sheridan, nan mastermind down “Yellowstone” and astir a twelve different shows, was a comparative chartless earlier nan ranch play became a hit. Now, he’s a Hollywood force.
As “Yellowstone” nears its extremity (the 2nd half of Season 5 premieres Sunday, Nov. 10 astatine 8 p.m. connected Paramount), Sheridan has go embroiled successful play that astir overshadows his work.
Here’s everything to cognize astir nan prolific cowboy TV creator and producer.
His beginnings
Taylor Sheridan, 54, was calved successful North Carolina and grew up successful Fort Worth, Texas.
“I grew up successful nan protector of nan Four Sixes,” he told The Hollywood Reporter successful 2023, referring to an iconic ranch that’s celebrated successful cowboy circles. It was controlled by a family dynasty for complete a century.
“To conscionable get 1 of their horses was a position symbol, because they’re truthful good trained,” he explained. “This was nan ranch I based [‘Yellowstone’s’] scope and cognition on, because it didn’t beryllium successful Montana. Most ranches location had already been carved up. They’d already mislaid it.”
His real-deal cowboy cred
Since 2022, Sheridan himself has owned that iconic ranch.
Per nan Austin American Statesman, Sheridan buying nan 266,000-acre spot marked its first-ever acquisition since its founding successful 1870.
Sheridan moved to nan westbound aft marrying his wife, character Nicole Muirbrook, 41, successful 2013.
“I near LA nan 2nd I could get out,” he told Cowboys & Indians Magazine successful 2020.
“My wife’s from up successful Wyoming, and my mother lives up there, truthful we moved location for a number of years, until I yet convinced her to travel effort my location state,” he added.
His career
Sheridan started successful Hollywood arsenic an actor, appearing successful shows for illustration “Veronica Mars” and “Sons of Anarchy.”
“I was a adjacent actor, but that’s each I was ever going to be,” Sheridan told THR. “But nan first point I ever wrote [the aviator for ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ successful 2011] sewage maine meetings astatine each awesome network, astatine each agency. I had aggregate group trying to bargain it.”
But, he said networks wanted a much seasoned showrunner to return control, and Sheridan wanted to do it himself, truthful he put it speech for nan clip being.
His first movie screenplay, 2015’s “Sicario” starring Emily Blunt, earned respective Oscar nominations. It didn’t gain him a “best original screenplay” nod, but his adjacent film, 2016’s “Hell aliases High Water,” did. He besides wrote and directed nan 2017 movie “Wind River,” starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen. For that directorial debut, he won an grant astatine Cannes.
Following that success, he sewage his ain TV show, “Yellowstone.” Paramount Network had precocious rebranded themselves from Spike, and it soon became their flagship series.
After it premiered successful June 2018 – averaging complete 5 cardinal viewers per section – it soon turned into his TV empire.
He made respective “Yellowstone” spin-off shows, including “1883” starring Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, and “1923,” starring Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford, pinch respective much successful development. He besides co-created “Mayor of Kingstown” starring Jeremy Renner, and “Tulsa King” starring Sylvester Stallone (all connected Paramount).
His different modus operandi
Sheridan said he doesn’t usage a writers’ room.
“The scheme was I would Greg Berlanti it,” Sheridan told THR successful 2023, referring to nan prolific shaper of shows for illustration “You,” “Arrow,” “Riverdale” and “The Flash.”
“I would write, formed and nonstop nan pilots, and past we would bring successful personification arsenic a showrunner to tally a writers room and I could cheque successful and guideline them,” he explained.
But, that didn’t activity out, because Sheridan said he likes character-driven stories, arsenic opposed to “characters driven by plot.” He didn’t consciousness that different writers were “motivated by those aforesaid qualities… So for me, writers rooms, they haven’t worked.”
Sheridan added, “I won’t compromise…if I person to cheque successful creatively pinch others for a communicative I’ve wholly built successful my brain, that would astir apt beryllium nan extremity of maine telling TV stories.”
“Taylor writes scripts for illustration you aliases I person a cup of coffee,” Sheridan’s producing partner David Glasser told THR. “He’s written 60 scripts for ‘Yellowstone’ — astir group don’t do that their full career.”
His politics
“Yellowstone” has been characterized arsenic a show geared towards a much blimpish audience. But, Sheridan’s sentiment whitethorn beryllium surprising.
“They mention to it arsenic ‘the blimpish show’ aliases ‘the Republican show’ aliases ‘the red-state Game of Thrones,’” Sheridan said successful a 2022 question and reply pinch The Atlantic.
“And I conscionable beryllium backmost laughing. I’m like, ‘Really?'” The show’s talking astir nan displacement of Native Americans and nan measurement Native American women were treated and astir firm greed and nan gentrification of nan West, and land-grabbing. That’s a red-state show?”
His scandals: spending
Sheridan has been charging nan web a “ridiculous” $50,000 per week for his ain show to movie astatine his 2 sprawling ranch properties.
According to a May 2023 story successful nan Wall Street Journal, Paramount and 101 Studios salary Sheridan tens of thousands of dollars a week connected apical of what he’s paid to write, nonstop and nutrient his bid — to usage his various companies and services, including a “Cowboy Camp” to train actors.
For “Yellowstone,” Sheridan reportedly rents cattle to Paramount astatine $25 a head, and he charges up to $50,000 a week for nan show to movie connected ranches that he owns.
Sheridan besides billed nan workplace $3,000 to salary a wrangler successful Texas, 1,600 miles distant from set, who was looking aft his ain horses.
The outlet reported that Sheridan insists connected utilizing his preferred farrier to make nan drama’s horseshoes, and had nan master flown retired to Montana from Texas for 4 nights to do nan job, flummoxing executives astatine 101 Studios.
“Are you kidding me? We can’t find a section person?” David Glasser, nan caput of 101 Studios, reportedly wrote successful an email to staff.
“You constitute a point and it costs what it costs. I will not alteration a book to meet a budget,” Sheridan told THR.
Glasser besides defended Sheridan’s expenses to nan outlet, saying, “Everything we do has a three-bid system, and Viacom has an audit team. Like shooting ‘1883’ connected Taylor’s ranch [for a reported $50,000 a week] was astatine a comparable value to nan ranch adjacent door. We rent a batch of ranches and cognize really overmuch they cost.”
Combined, Paramount has spent much than $500 cardinal a twelvemonth connected nan accumulation of Sheridan’s shows – moreover arsenic it trim 25% of their tv unit successful May of 2023, and besides shuttered MTV News, aft astir 35 years connected air.
His scandals: alleged feud pinch Kevin Costner
In May 2023, news collapsed that Costner would not return to “Yellowstone” aft Season 5. (This was earlier Paramount said that Season 5 would beryllium nan show’s last.) That aforesaid month, it was announced that nan show would extremity pinch Season 5, starring to speculation that nan show was ending successful portion because Costner was leaving.
There were besides reports that Costner refused to beryllium connected group filming for much than 1 week for nan 2nd half of Season 5, which Costner’s lawyer denied.
“My past speech pinch Kevin was that he had this passion task he wanted to direct,” Sheridan told the Hollywood Reporter successful June, referring to “Horizon.”
Sheridan’s relationship made it sound for illustration Costner was prioritizing “Horizon” complete “Yellowstone.”
The creator added, “Once lawyers get involved, past group don’t get to talk to each different and commencement saying things that aren’t existent and effort to displacement blasted based connected really nan property aliases nationalist look to beryllium reacting…His movie seems to beryllium a awesome privilege to him and he wants to displacement attraction …”
However, successful May 2024, Costner told Deadline that “Yellowstone” had “first position” successful his database of priorities. “I didn’t do ‘Horizon’ because I was tired of doing ‘Yellowstone.’ That’s a bulls – – t story. I didn’t do ‘Horizon’ to compete pinch ‘Yellowstone.’ This [project] is thing I’ve had a agelong time,” he said.
Costner added that ongoing speculation astir what was happening down nan scenes “wasn’t truthful.”
The “Dances pinch Wolves” prima said that his movie “Horizon” was expected to “fit into nan gaps” betwixt filming “Yellowstone,” but, he said, “They conscionable kept moving their gaps.”
There were “no scripts” for nan last agelong of “Yellowstone” episodes, he alleged.
“I was consecutive up pinch [Taylor Sheridan], and he said what we would do, and I believed him,” said Costner. “And we didn’t get there.”
His scandals: lawsuit pinch Cole Hauser
After his play pinch Costner, Sheridan sewage into yet different down nan scenes kerfuffle pinch 1 of his actors: Cole Hauser.
In November 2023, Hauser’s java brand, Free Rein Coffee Company, sewage sued by Bosque Ranch — which is owned by Sheridan.
The suit claimed that Free Rein uses “a marque people strikingly akin to Bosque Ranch’s registered trademark, perchance misleading consumers,” according to San Angelo Live.
Both nan caffeine institution and nan ranch usage a akin logo, pinch nan letters B and R intertwining.
Despite their conflict, Hauser had immoderate affirmative words astir Sheridan.
“I deliberation he’s going to nonstop immoderate [episodes],” Hauser told People, referring to Sheridan. “So I’m excited astir that.”
What’s his existent status?
Sheridan is still a powerhouse showrunner, pinch a slew of deed shows presently airing aliases coming down nan pipeline – including an upcoming “Yellowstone” spinoff called “The Madison” starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
He’s each but nan king of a awesome web and streamer (Paramount), and his shows pull apical A-listers.
He hasn’t “fallen” from his throne, but that besides doesn’t mean his estimation hasn’t taken hits.
In April 2023, a root told nan Daily Mail that Sheridan developed a “God complex,” which besides added substance to nan occurrence of his alleged feud pinch Costner.
That aforesaid month, a root told The Post that Sheridan’s “overburdened” schedule has interfered pinch preparing and filming, moreover though Costner made himself available.
“Taylor spent years not being genuinely appreciated successful Hollywood, and now that he’s nan apical of nan heap, there’s decidedly immoderate ego to each of this.”
Although Costner won a Golden Globe for playing John Dutton and Sheridan sewage Oscars and Golden Globes nominations for his earlier movies, Sheridan hasn’t gotten accolades for “Yellowstone.”