Taylor Sheridan built an undoubtedly massive brand with his Yellowstone universe.
It’s crazy to think that, at one point, the idea for Yellowstone was… just an idea. That’s how every great thing starts, and as all know, the TV series grew into something bigger than itself. Though Yellowstone and its multiple spinoffs (1883, 1923) are now considered to be some of the most popular and most watched shows on TV, not everyone was excited about the western drama in the beginning.
Sheridan first sold the show to HBO, and after sitting on it for a while, they punted on it. Eventually, Yellowstone landed in the hands of the Paramount Network. The sprawling family ranching story was one that they were interested in, though the network still wanted to critique and change plenty of things.
That’s where creator and show runner Taylor Sheridan disagreed. He insisted that he make the show how he wanted to make it, and likened it to how he made the impressive films that make up his indie movie catalogue like Sicario and Wind River. But the executives didn’t see eye-to-eye with Sheridan on that, and as he told Bloomberg, that almost made him abandon the Yellowstone project altogether:
“I strongly considered walking away. It was a very, very difficult process.”
What a mistake that would have been.
The ah-ha, redemptive moment didn’t come immediately for Taylor Sheridan. Though the second season of his flagship Yellowstone show averaged 6.3 million viewers – easily making it the top show on cable – Paramount lost a staggering $50 million on it. That’s because it costs so much to create Taylor Sheridan shows (1883 and 1923 cost almost $20 million an episode).
In fact, Paramount has likely spent more than $1 billion producing Sheridan’s shows both inside and outside of the Yellowstone universe.
But that return on investment has paid dividends. Bloomberg reported that Sheridan’s shows have generated just shy of $3 billion in sales, and the loyal audience of anything that the show runner does has spent more than $450 million on digital downloads and DVDs alone. All in all, the Sheridan universe (feel like we can call it that) has raked in $700 million in profits.
Because of those numbers, and the fact that Sheridan is TV’s top show runner (that’s supported statistically, not opinionated), Paramount has already green lit three other shows that take place in the Yellowstone universe. For the uninitiated… we’re talking even more spinoffs.
It’s believed that the spinoff with Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser that was set up at the end of the flagship Yellowstone series will be titled “Dutton Ranch,” and that it will debut on Paramount Network as early as this fall. It’s also reported that a show focusing on Yellowstone character Kayce Dutton is set to find a home on CBS in 2026. In addition to those two shows, fans will also be able to watch Michelle Pfeiffer in “The Madison,” and Yellowstone faithful can expect another prequel spinoff that’s set to be called “1944.”
If the total amount generated for the Yellowstone universe is just under $3 billion, those other Taylor Sheridan shows will boost that number over the $3 billion mark sooner rather than later…
