Taylor Sheridan not seeing eye-to-eye on politics contributed to him eventually packing up and moving away from Paramount?
It’s no secret that the Yellowstone creator is one of the most sought after minds in Hollywood. Because it seems as though everything he touches turns to gold (or at least brings in massive ratings), there’s not an entertainment executive out there that doesn’t want a slice of the Taylor Sheridan pie.
In fact, Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison just stated publicly in the past couple of months that he’d basically attempt to keep Taylor Sheridan on at Paramount at all costs.
One could make an argument that Paramount+’s success has Taylor Sheridan’s entire catalogue to thank. He’s managed to create shows and movies that fans of television have no other choice but to seek out, and most of his productions have found a home on Paramount+.
Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ originals include the following:
-The Last Cowboy
-Finestkind
-Mayor of Kingstown
-1883 (Yellowstone spinoff)
-1923 (Yellowstone spinoff)
-Lawmen: Bass Reeves (Yellowstone spinoff)
-Tulsa King
-Lioness
-Landman
In other words… that list right there is why people are subscribing to Paramount+.
And 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. The Sheridan universe of shows (feel like we can call it that) has raked in $700 million in profits.
That’s probably why CEO David Ellison said this about Taylor Sheridan’s future with the Paramount Skydance Corporation when Paramount and Skydance merged back in August:
“He is literally a singular genius with a perfect track record. If we can make this his home as long as he wants to tell stories, we want to do that.”
Spoiler alert: Paramount Skydance will be making Taylor Sheridan’s home Paramount… until the end of 2028. NBCUniversal will be snatching away the creator, writer and director at the beginning of 2029, according to Deadline.
Sheridan struck up a five-year deal with NBCUniversal that will start on January 1, 2029. NBCUniversal will be trusting the entertainment genius to making film and television for their linear and streaming platforms. David Glasser, a close collaborator of Sheridan’s, will also be moving to NBCUniversal… as will Glasser’s 101 Studios.
Early reports suggested that Paramount Skydance wasn’t thrilled with how much Taylor Sheridan’s shows cost to make (1883 and 1923 cost almost $20 million an episode), and that’s why Sheridan and Paramount decided to part ways. And though that might have played a part in it, the Wall Street Journal has since reported that one, political disagreement drove a wedge between CEO David Ellison and Taylor Sheridan.
Ellison apparently requested that Sheridan make a series that was tied to and promoted America’s 250th anniversary next year. WSJ cited unnamed sources, which said that the Yellowstone creator refused to making anything that was “overtly political.” Sheridan has previously stated that he himself tries to be apolitical publicly, and designs his shows to showcase both conservative and progressive themes. He seemingly leans a bit conservative, based on his conversation with Joe Rogan, but I also think the Western cowboy thing immediately pegs Sheridan as a Republican in the minds of viewers. But then some fans watch the Duttons return the land to the Broken Rock Tribe in Yellowstone, and are quick to scream “WOKE.”
Truth is, he’s never operated along party lines. His shows have called out vegans and the so called “clean energy” of wind farms, but have also called for proper stewardship of natural resources, and shined a spotlight on the plight of Native Americans, especially abused women. Sheridan is also called a sexist for the way he portrays his female characters, but then you see a badass like Beth Dutton or Zoë Saldaña’s Joe McNamara in Lioness, and the women are clearly running the show. He also tackles the woke military and questions the wars in the Middle East in Lioness, he addresses the prison industrial complex in Mayor Of Kingstown, and even roasted Bud Light in Landman. Hell, Yellowstone is all about fighting against corporate greed and land grabbing in the American West, rich people and developers buying up the state of Montana… not exactly waving the so-called pro-big business Republican flag.
Though that might not have been the main reason that Sheridan decided to leave Paramount for NBCUniversal, the writer and director not being on the same page with CEO David Ellison – and not wanting to take orders from him – certainly seems to have played a role in Sheridan leaving the company.
Looks like Paramount will need to get the most out of him before he makes his move in 2029… and they should probably avoid talking politics.
