Taylor Sherdian Knew ‘Yellowstone’ Would Succeed Because It Wasn’t a “Sh-tty Western”

Although some people will say that Taylor Sheridan is excessively dominating TV, it is hard to deny that the man seems to know what his audiences want and can deliver it in big, mostly patriarchal, droves. While he has found success with shows like Tulsa King and Lioness, his neo-Western-themed shows such as Yellowstone have been incredibly successful despite some believing the Western genre to have died out many years ago. For Sheridan though, he was always aware that the genre was still “universally loved” if it was done right.

During an interview with Gold Derby, the TV and movie mastermind was asked how he knew that Yellowstone could be a success. He said:

“I just knew it. I knew there was such a thirst, that a Western done well is a universally loved genre. It captures everything American, this sense of freedom and vastness and independence. And there’s a romance to it. You get on a 1,200-pound animal, and that thing trusts you, and you trust it, and you run 40 miles an hour. It’s just so romantic and brutal and beautiful.”

As Sheridan continued, he believes that there are a lot of “sh*tty” shows and movies that have attempted to “drift into what we do,” and that led to a lot of people casting the genre aside. He added:

“I remember there was an article written about the Western genre is dead, and it came out right after the movie Space Cowboys came out. And I remember saying, “No, the Western genre is not dead, but the sh*tty Western genre where you try to merge it with f–king aliens is dead. That’s dead, and there’s no reason to ever revive that.” I just don’t think I’m that unique. If something’s interesting to me, it’s probably going to be interesting to a lot of other people. I’m just not that f*cking special.”

Taylor Sheridan Continues to Dominate Streaming Charts

For the first time in a long while, Paramount+’s TV chart does not have a single Sheridan show in it. However, just a few weeks ago, it was hard for anyone else to edge their way into the Top 10 due to Landman, 1923, and others. However, Sherdian has several big shows on the horizon that will reassert his dominance of the streaming platform.

Currently, on the cards are new seasons of Tulsa King, Lioness, and Mayor of Kingstown, as well as new sequel and prequel spinoffs from Yellowstone. As if this was not enough, new reports have also suggested that Sheridan is looking to get his teeth into one of the most iconic horror franchises, as his name has been mentioned in relation to a bidding war around the Texas Chainsaw Massacre IP. While that is just a rumor for now, it is clear that Sheridan is not planning on slowing down his output anytime soon.