Taylor Sheridan is the only guy in Hollywood who could make a show about the logistics of oil drilling feel like a blood-soaked Shakespearean tragedy. It’s wild. A few years ago, he was just "that guy from Sons of Anarchy" who got killed off. Now? He basically owns the Paramount network. If you've ever found yourself deep in a weekend binge of Taylor Sheridan movies and TV shows, you know the vibe. It’s gritty. It’s dusty. Someone is definitely going to get punched in a bar, and there is almost certainly a sunset involved.
But it’s more than just cowboys and gravelly voices.
There is a specific "Sheridan-ness" to his writing—a mix of extreme violence and surprisingly tender moments about family legacy. People call it "Dad TV," but that’s a bit of a disservice. It’s more like modern mythology. Whether it’s the cartel-infested borders of Sicario or the corporate greed in Yellowstone, he’s obsessed with how the land changes people. Or how they refuse to change with it.
The Big Ones: Movies That Put Him on the Map
Before the TV empire, there was the "Frontier Trilogy." This is where the real street cred comes from. Honestly, if you haven’t seen Hell or High Water, you’re missing out on one of the best scripts of the last decade. It’s a simple heist movie on the surface, but it’s actually about the death of the American Dream in West Texas.
- Sicario (2015): This was the wake-up call. Sheridan didn't direct this one (Denis Villeneuve did), but the script is pure ice. It’s cold, cynical, and treats the drug war like a horror movie.
- Hell or High Water (2016): Two brothers robbing banks to pay back the bank they’re robbing. It sounds like a joke, but it’s heartbreaking. Jeff Bridges plays the Texas Ranger who’s just too old for this, and Chris Pine puts in a career-best performance.
- Wind River (2017): This was Sheridan’s real directorial debut. It’s heavy. Set on an Indigenous reservation in Wyoming, it deals with the epidemic of missing Native women. It’s a tough watch, but it proved he could handle the camera as well as the pen.
Then things got a little... bigger. Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021) with Angelina Jolie felt more like a throwback 90s thriller. It wasn't as deep as his earlier work, but it showed he could play in the big studio sandbox. And let's not forget Without Remorse. It was a Tom Clancy adaptation, but you could still feel Sheridan’s fingerprints on the dialogue—lots of men talking about duty while looking at tactical maps.
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The Yellowstone Universe: A Growing Beast
We have to talk about the ranch. Yellowstone changed everything. It’s the sun that all his other projects orbit. When Kevin Costner showed up as John Dutton, it legitimized the "Neo-Western" for a whole new generation.
But it’s the prequels that actually might be better than the main show.
1883 is basically an Oregon Trail nightmare. It’s brutal. It’s poetic. It’s got Tim McGraw and Faith Hill being surprisingly great. Then you have 1923, where Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren remind everyone why they are icons. These shows work because they aren't just sequels; they are historical epics that explain why the Duttons are so messed up in the present day.
The expansion hasn't stopped. We’ve got Tulsa King with Sylvester Stallone, which is basically "What if a mobster went to Oklahoma?" It’s funnier than you’d expect. Then there’s Mayor of Kingstown with Jeremy Renner, which is… not funny at all. It’s a bleak look at the prison-industrial complex that makes Sicario look like a comedy.
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What’s Coming in 2026?
The "Sheridan-verse" is shifting. With Yellowstone reaching its controversial finish line after the whole Kevin Costner exit drama, the focus is moving to new spin-offs.
- Y: Marshals (2026): This one is exciting. It’s the first Sheridan show to hit a major broadcast network (CBS) and follows Luke Grimes (Kayce Dutton) as a U.S. Marshal. Expect a mix of his usual grit with a bit more of a "case-of-the-week" procedural feel.
- Dutton Ranch (2026): This is the one fans are screaming for. It’s the Beth and Rip show. Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser are reprising their roles, and honestly, the chemistry between those two is half the reason Yellowstone became a hit in the first place.
- The Madison (2026): Starring Michelle Pfeiffer. This is a contemporary off-shoot set in the present day. It’s supposed to be a "character-driven" drama about a New York family moving to Montana. It’ll be interesting to see if Sheridan can do "city people" without just making them the villains.
Why Some People Are Starting to Sour on Him
You can't have this much success without a little backlash. Lately, some critics and fans think he’s spread too thin. There’s a joke that he writes all his scripts on a legal pad while riding a horse, and honestly, sometimes it feels like it. The dialogue can get a bit "tough guy" repetitive.
There's also the "soap opera" complaint. Some feel that while his movies were tight and focused, his shows—especially later seasons of Yellowstone—rely too much on shock value and circular plotting. And then there's the politics. He’s been accused of both being too conservative and too "woke," which usually means he’s hitting some kind of uncomfortable middle ground that annoys everyone.
But look at the numbers. People are watching. He’s tapped into a demographic that felt ignored by Hollywood: the rural, the working class, and the people who just want to see a story where the hero wears a Stetson.
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How to Watch It All (The Right Way)
If you're just starting, don't just jump into Yellowstone Season 1. You'll get burnt out.
The Expert Path: Start with Hell or High Water. It’s only 102 minutes. If you like that, watch Wind River. If you’re still on board, then dive into the TV stuff.
Interestingly, there’s a massive shakeup happening with where these shows live. While Yellowstone is famously on Peacock (a weird licensing quirk), almost everything else—1883, 1923, Tulsa King, Lioness, Landman—is on Paramount+. However, Sheridan recently signed a massive deal with NBCUniversal, so expect his newest movies and shows to start popping up on Peacock or even NBC in the next few years.
Actionable Steps for the Sheridan Fan
If you've caught the bug, here is how to stay ahead of the curve:
- Watch Landman: It’s his newest project starring Billy Bob Thornton. It’s about the Texas oil world, and it’s much faster-paced than the Dutton sagas.
- Track the "Y: Marshals" Premiere: Mark March 1, 2026, on your calendar if you want to see if the Sheridan formula works on broadcast TV.
- Revisit the Acting: Go back and watch Sons of Anarchy or Veronica Mars (he plays Danny Boyd). It’s fun to see the creator as a struggling actor before he became the king of the mountain.
The reality is that Taylor Sheridan movies and TV shows aren't going anywhere. He’s the new archetype of the Hollywood mogul. He doesn't go to parties in L.A.; he stays on his ranch in Texas and writes about the world he knows. Whether you love the "macho" energy or find it a bit much, you can't deny the man knows how to tell a story that sticks.
Just don't expect a happy ending. In Sheridan’s world, those are in short supply.