Taylor Sheridan is a man who likes to be in control of his babies – that’s of the TV and movie variety, obviously. However, it looks like his extensive list of projects means he can no longer be a continuous presence on all of his upcoming shows, and according to Landman star Ali Larter, the Yellowstone creator is taking a big step back from the oilfield drama.

While Sheridan wrote the series, directed some episodes of Season 1, and had a strong input in the making of Landman’s record-breaking first season, it looks like he won’t be stepping behind the camera for any of Season 2’s episodes, which will instead all be directed by Stephen Kay, who helmed half of the original run. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Larter said:

“[Stephen] is directing all 10 episodes this year. Last year, Michael Friedman directed three; Stephen directed, I think, five; and Taylor directed a couple. That being said, Taylor would come in and direct all my stuff because he loves forming these characters and he wants them big and bold.”

While this is currently the plan for the series, which is currently filming, there is nothing to say that Sheridan won’t dip into work on some scenes as he did in Season 1, especially if things don’t appear to be living up to his standards. While Kay has proven himself more than capable of working in Sheridan’s words – having worked on both Yellowstone and Mayor of Kingstown – the series creator has previously stepped in to “save” some of his shows that have not been heading the way he wanted.

Taylor Sheridan Stepped In To Save ‘Yellowstone’ From a “Bad” Writer’s Room

In what seems to be no time at all, Taylor Sheridan has gone from being just another writer/director in the churn to one of the biggest voices in television. Yellowstone became a juggernaut series that refused to die – and even when it did, there have been plenty of spinoffs, prequels, and sequels to keep the franchise alive.

However, back in the early days of the series, Sheridan found himself having to take on the task of writing the show himself, because he believed that all the writers brought in to take the strain were not up to the task. He previously said:

“Originally it came from just what you said, a sense of 20 years I’ve been held back. What ultimately happened after Wind River, Yellowstone got bought out of turnaround, and they wanted to go into production in four months, and they were trying to introduce me to [writers’] rooms. I’m reading samples, and I just think everyone’s a terrible writer.

I found myself in a situation where I was writing scripts on the weekend to shoot the next week. We tried to put a room together, and there was no time to put a room together. So then I wrote all of Season 2. They did try to hire a room for Season 3, and the scripts were so bad that they called me back while I was directing this movie in New Mexico with Angie [Jolie], and they said, “You’ve got to help us out. The actors won’t go to work. They’re mutinying.” And so I wrote an episode of Yellowstone every Saturday.”

While Sheridan cannot be everywhere at once, his reach is certainly clear to see from the sheer number of TV shows coming down the line. Along with Landman, Tulsa King, Lioness, and Mayor of Kingstown are getting new seasons soon, and Yellowstone spinoffs are too numerous to keep up with. In short, whether completely involved or not, there is a lot more content to come for Sheridan’s expanded universe.