The Fate Of Taylor Sheridan’s Sons Of Anarchy Character Launched His Yellowstone Empire

Taylor Sheridan was part of Sons of Anarchy for two full seasons, and his experience in this show was key to launching his Yellowstone franchise. Taylor Sheridan is now best known for his work as a writer and producer, having created some of the most popular and successful TV shows in recent years, but his career began as an actor. Sheridan’s acting career began in the 1990s, but he became widely known when he was cast as David Hale in Kurt Sutter’s action drama TV series Sons of Anarchy.

Set in the fictional town of Charming, California, Sons of Anarchy followed the ups and downs of the title motorcycle club, with special focus on the show’s VP and later President, Jackson “Jax” Teller (Charlie Hunnam). Throughout seven seasons, SAMCRO faced different antagonists and enemies, among them David Hale. While never a villain, Hale was a key antagonist in Sons of Anarchy’s first two seasons, meeting his end in a surprising move in season 3’s premiere. However, leaving Sons of Anarchy was a key moment in Sheridan’s career.

Taylor Sheridan Leaving Sons Of Anarchy Started His Career As A Screenwriter

Sons Of Anarchy Was A Turning Point For Taylor Sheridan

SAMCRO was highly influential in Charming – some were ok with the club as they provided safety to those who needed it, but others saw it as a menace and a trigger of crime. Falling into the latter category is David Hale, the Deputy Chief of the Charming Police Department. Hale took his job very seriously, and his goal was to get rid of SAMCRO out of genuine moral concern. Hale was all about adhering to the law and had a strong moral compass, and though he was firmly against SAMCRO, he briefly sided with them when he believed it was the right thing to do.

Hale was an antagonist through the first two seasons of Sons of Anarchy, and Sheridan only returned for one episode of season 3. Sheridan told Deadline in 2021 that he left Sons of Anarchy due to salary disputes that, in turn, showed him a bigger problem. Sheridan revealed that he was paid an unfair wage, so much so that he would have been paid less than “virtually every other person on the show” and couldn’t leave his second job. When Sheridan’s attorney was told he wouldn’t get paid more because he wasn’t worth more, Sheridan understandably felt disrespected.

Sheridan shared that the main problem was how the business saw him back then, and he understood that his calling was telling stories behind the scenes. Sheridan quit Sons of Anarchy and made a career change, leaving acting aside for a while and focusing on screenwriting. Sheridan’s first project in this new era of his career was the movie Sicario, directed by Denis Villeneuve, and after more movies, he returned to TV with the neo-Western drama Yellowstone, which he co-created with John Linson.

How Sons Of Anarchy Killed Taylor Sheridan’s David Hale Off

David Hale Was Killed In Sons Of Anarchy Season 3 Premiere Episode

Sons of Anarchy season 2 ended on both a cliffhanger and a tragedy: after killing Half-Sack (Johnny Lewis), Cameron Hayes kidnapped Jax’s baby son, Abel, and took him with him to Ireland. The first episode of season 3 featured Half-Sacks’ funeral, after which a van pulled up and fired at the crowd, with Jax and the SAMCRO crew pulling out their guns to defend themselves, their families, and friends. Also in attendance were Hale, Unser, and Hale’s brother, Jacob, with Hale being run over by the van and dragged along the street.

Hale died on the spot, much to the horror of Jacob and Unser. Hale’s death was unexpected, and despite his antagonistic role, it was a tragic moment. Hale’s death made way for his brother to take over as antagonist and villain, who carried on with the plan of taking SAMCRO down, but his decision also led to the arrival of a group of White Supremacists. Hale’s death was tragic, but it ended up pushing Sons of Anarchy forward.

How Yellowstone Became Sheridan’s Biggest TV Project

Yellowstone Became A TV Franchise

After four movies, Sheridan returned to TV with Yellowstone. The show focuses on the Dutton family, led by John Dutton III (Kevin Costner), the owners of the largest cattle ranch in Montana, the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, simply called “the Yellowstone.” Yellowstone follows the conflicts of the Dutton family with the bordering land developers, a Native American reservation, and Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone premiered in 2018, and though it had a rough start, its critical reception greatly improved with its second season.

Yellowstone has been praised for its performances, particularly Costner’s, its tone, story, settings, and modern perspective on classic cowboy tropes. Yellowstone’s success allowed it to continue for a total of five seasons, ending in December 2024, but it also launched a TV franchise. First came the prequel miniseries 1883, following the Dutton family back then, followed by another prequel series, 1923, focused on another generation of the Dutton family. At the time of writing, the sequel series The Madison is awaiting a release date, with the spinoff series 6666 and the prequel series 1944 currently in development.

Yellowstone Brought Sheridan Back Into Acting 8 Years After Leaving Sons Of Anarchy

Taylor Sheridan Put Acting On Hold After Sons Of Anarchy

In that same interview with Deadline mentioned above, Sheridan shared part of his frustration with the industry and how he had been treated while being part of Sons of Anarchy. On the topic of not being considered as an actor who was worth more money than what he was unfairly offered, Sheridan decided he didn’t want to be “11 on the call sheet” for the rest of his career, and that the business told him that he was supposed to tell the stories behind the camera rather than in front of it. In addition to changing to screenwriting, Sheridan also left acting aside for a while.

After Sons of Anarchy, Sheridan had a one-episode appearance in NCIS: Los Angeles, a cameo appearance in Hell or High Water, and a minor role in the action war movie 12 Strong – but Yellowstone properly brought him back to acting. Sheridan played Travis Wheatly, and he later played Charles Goodnight in 1883 and Cody Spears in Lioness. Taylor Sheridan was treated unfairly during his time in Sons of Anarchy, and it’s sad that we didn’t get to see more of David Hale in Charming, but this became a turning point in his career that led him to great success.