Taylor Sheridan deserves to have a room full of awards for his work in TV and film, and yet his shows are rarely ever nominated.
It’s no secret that Taylor Sheridan has a large fanbase that follows him to whatever show he’s behind. And it’s safe to say that fans love that Sheridan keeps his shows on a regular schedule, releasing new seasons every single year (with the exception of Yellowstone) in an age where other programs have two or even three year gaps between seasons.
Despite the love that Sheridan gets from fans, the writer and director rarely ever gets the credit he deserves from critics. Though his shows often score technical nominations (like production design or stunts), they’ve always been snubbed in major categories like directing, writing and acting. Landman star Billy Bob Thornton recently told Variety that he’s thinks it’s a political thing:
“I think a lot of it’s political. I really do. I think some people assume Taylor is some sort of right-wing guy or something, and he’s really not…
Even with this show being about the oil business, he just shows you what it’s like. He’s not saying ‘Rah, rah, rah for oil.’ It’s just the people who work in this business or who are affected by this business, the people on the periphery and within the families in the business; this is what happens.”
Thornton might be right in saying that. And watching any number of Taylor Sheridan shows, and even his interviews, it’s obvious that his politics are complex.
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 and the absurdity of non-binary gender pronouns 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. So yeah… maybe Sheridan voted for Donald Trump in the last election, but I think Billy Bob is right… all of the evidence points to Taylor Sheridan’s politics being more nuanced.
Later on, Thornton explained that awarding shows and movies is more intricate and complex than handing out awards in sports or other forms of competition. Though that might come off as confusing, it was actually a really well articulated point from the 70-year-old actor:
“If you run the 100-meter dash in the Olympics and you break the tape first, you win. There’s no question about it. Everybody saw it. How do you say in the artistic world who won? It’s an intangible thing. Then people say, ‘Well, any one of the nominees besides me could have won this. They’re all wonderful actors.’ Not only them, some other actors in the audience who weren’t nominated, some other ones who aren’t even at the show, some other ones who aren’t even known by people have done an amazing job.”
Again, a great point made by the man that’s been in Hollywood for quite some time. Every year, a number of shows and movies feature awards-worthy performances, but most awards shows cut it down to what? Some kind of top 5? And let’s be honest… groupthink takes over a lot in these situations. We here at Whiskey Riff see it first hand in country music all the time.
Thornton concluded his rant against award shows by saying that a fancy trophy isn’t what most writers, directors and actors are after anyways. He insists that the fulfillment felt through one’s work is the most rewarding thing that anyone in the entertainment business can experience:
“If you put your heart and soul into something you love, and you’re satisfied with your work, and it works in the thing, there’s the award. I look at it that way. I’m too damn old now to worry about stuff like that. I got enough awards. I’m good. I’m sure the people that I work for or work with me don’t like to hear that. But I guess when I said I’m too damn old, I guess I’m too damn old to not tell the truth.”
I’m sure Taylor Sheridan views all the awards snubs the same way too.
While you’re here check out the full Landman Season 2 recap:
