Taylor Sheridan Reveals The Reason Why He Thought About Leaving Yellowstone
Taylor Sheridan has built an entertainment empire off of Yellowstone. But as he recently confessed, he seriously considered stepping away from the series during its early days.
Sheridan, who served as the writer, creator, and producer behind Yellowstone, didn’t experience out-of-the-gate success while shopping the show around. He initially sold the series to HBO, but they changed their minds and abandoned the project.
Sheridan had no luck convincing other networks or services to pick up the series. That’s when the Paramount Network stepped in to give Yellowstone a home.
However, Paramount was not the juggernaut it is today. So the future of Yellowstone still seemed shaky with the show in their hands.
Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton and Kevin Costner as John Dutton in “Yellowstone.”
(Photo Credit: Yellowstone / Facebook)
As Bloomberg details, Sheridan’s vision for the Yellowstone didn’t mesh with the executives at Paramount’s parent company, Viacom. He approached the series in the same way he handled some of his past film projects, including Hell or High Water and Wind River. He also didn’t take notes and refrained from attending meetings with the powers-that-be at the network.
The “very difficult process” of getting Yellowstone off the ground tested Sheridan’s patience. “I strongly considered walking away,” Bloomberg quotes him as saying.
Despite Its Early Success, Yellowstone Came Close To Being Ditched By Paramount
But Sheridan stuck with Yellowstone, and so did Paramount. The show’s first and second seasons took off like wildfire and attracted millions of viewers per episode.
Despite this, Paramount still lost roughly $50 million after picking up the series.
Paramount’s parent company, Viacom, was merging with CBS at the time, and CBS owned Showtime. Viacom felt they didn’t need two places to air pricey series like Yellowstone, and they considered canceling the show, downsizing it, or selling it to another network.
Paramount’s co-Chief Executive Officer, Chris McCarthy, had faith in Yellowstone. He moved the show from summer to fall and had it air on Sundays instead of Wednesdays. Sheridan wasn’t sure about the switch, fearing Yellowstone would lose too many viewers to Sunday Night Football.
However, the plan paid off. The show continued attracting more viewers throughout its third and fourth seasons, eventually becoming TV’s most popular scripted show. According to Bloomberg, the main series and its connected programs have now generated $2.9 billion in sales.
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Yellowstone got a fifth and final season before it ended in December 2024
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The main cast of the second half of Season 5 of “Yellowstone.” (Photo Credit: Yellowstone / Facebook)
Multiple Spin-Offs And Other Sheridan Series Are Currently In The Works
While Yellowstone may be over, Sheridan isn’t finished with the Dutton family quite yet.
Multiple Yellowstone spin-offs are currently in the works, including one following Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, set to debut on the Paramount Network in the fall. Another series, following Beth’s younger brother Kayce Dutton, is slated to premiere on CBS in 2026.
Additionally, a third show, called The Madison, will follow a batch of new characters in the Yellowstone universe. Plus, Sheridan plans to create another Dutton family prequel series, tentatively titled 1944, following on the heels of 1883 and 1923.
Outside of the Yellowstone universe, Sheridan is the driving force behind other hit Paramount series such as Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, Lioness, and Landman.
The latter series, led by Billy Bob Thornton, is currently filming its second season. It was recently confirmed that 1883 alum Sam Elliott joined the cast in a new role.
Head here for a complete list of everything Sheridan has in store for the future. Then, revisit some fan-favorite Yellowstone moments in the video below.
