Running The Show: The Worlds Of Taylor Sheridan

TV mastermind Taylor Sheridan isn’t a conservative. He’s suggested as much in various interviews, and there’s little reason to doubt him.

He just knows how conservatives think and refuses to ignore them. And, sometimes, he lets them speak without a filter. If Hollywood wants to thrive in the Trump 2.0 era, it should watch a Sheridan show.

And take some notes.

Billy Bob Thornton in “Landman.” Photo by Emerson Miller/Emerson Miller/Paramount+. Copyright 2024 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Sheridan’s newest series, “Landman,” recently went viral for a character’s screed against the green movement. Billy Bob Thornton plays Tommy Norris, an oil company executive who puts a green activist in her place.

You have any idea how much diesel will have to burn to mix that much concrete or make that steel and haul this s*** out here and put it together with a 450-foot crane? You want to guess how much oil it takes to lubricate that f***ing thing? Or winterize it? In its 20-year lifespan, it won’t offset the carbon footprint of making it. And don’t get me started on solar panels and the lithium in your Tesla battery.

That’s just part of Tommy’s stemwinder. Is it any wonder social media ate it up? Can you imagine that dialogue coming from a network TV show? What about an HBO original? A Netflix and Chill affair?

Impossible.

Sheridan is willing to share stories and angles others miss. It’s why he conquered the small screen in dramatic fashion.

It’s not surprising that “Landman,” co-starring Jon Hamm, Demi Moore and Ali Larter, is another Sheridan smash.

The Paramount+ original’s debut drew a total of 14.6 million viewers in one week across the streaming network and the Paramount Network. That’s the biggest debut for a Paramount+ streaming original.

That matters in the highly competitive streaming landscape.

In just six years Sheridan has upended the world of television with his muscular, uncompromised vision. In that span he’s given us “Yellowstone,” “Tulsa King,” “Special Ops: Lioness.” “1883,” “1923,” “Mayor of Kingstown” and now “Landman.”

Taylor Sheridan, Kelly Reilly and Kevin Costner attend the premiere of Paramount Pictures’ “Yellowstone” at Paramount Studios on June 11, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images)

Not every series is a blockbuster, although “Yellowstone” more than qualifies. The series inspired two prequel shows and more spinoffs may be on the way.

“Tulsa King,” starring Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone as a mafioso who brings his thuggish acumen to the Midwest, is another hit. Paramount+ is teasing a deal to bring a third and fourth season of the show to viewers.

The first season found Stallone’s Dwight Manfredi railing against some of the cultural changes that happened while he was in prison.

“And these pronouns. What the f*** is with the pronouns? He, she, him, they, the, boom, bang, ba, fa, foo. You know what my pronoun is? Guess. Time’s up. It. As in, it can’t take this s*** anymore. I’m all for change. I am. I really am. But somebody keeps moving the goalpost.”

Sylvester Stallone in “Tulsa King” (2022). Paramount+. IMDB.

Sheridan isn’t just making up dialogue. He’s listening to both halves of the country. Another sequence found Stallone’s character accusing someone of racially profiling his young black colleague.

It’s precisely how a shrewd operator like Manfredi would shift the balance of power to his advantage. It’s not woke. It’s storytelling.

Keep in mind Manfredi is the story’s anti-hero. Viewers are rooting for him, despite his flaws, much like they rallied behind James Gandolfini’s patriarch in “The Sopranos.”

Conservatives quickly latched onto “Yellowstone” as that rare conservative show early in its run. The saga followed an old-school rancher, memorably played by Kevin Costner, and his complicated brood.

How many shows are set in Montana these days?

(L-R) Helen Mirren, Taylor Sheridan, and Harrison Ford attend Paramount+’s “1923” Las Vegas Premiere at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas on December 03, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Small/Getty Images)

Yet some conservatives railed against progressive elements in the saga, from vegan protesters to a lesbian romance.

Sheridan politely disagreed with the conservative label some slapped on the drama.

“And I just sit back laughing. I’m like, ‘Really?’ The show’s talking about the displacement of Native Americans and the way Native American women were treated…about corporate greed…the gentrification of the West, and land-grabbing. That’s a red-state show?”

He’s right. It’s not a red-meat entrée for a famished heartland. It’s just been so long since conservatives saw themselves on screen they embraced the saga, warts and all.

That’s ultimately Sheridan’s trick. He’s not looking to score cheap partisan points or curry favor with progressives. The story comes first. And he doesn’t seem to care that his apolitical bent may hurt him come awards time.

Sam Elliott (L) and Taylor Sheridan attend the after party for the world premiere of “1883” at SW Steakhouse at Wynn Las Vegas on December 11, 2021. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

“Yellowstone” earned strong reviews and endless audience praise, but to date, it’s snagged just one Emmy nomination for Outstanding Production Design. It’s a populist hit, and that’s more than enough for Sheridan. After all, network executives care more about ratings than awards.

The actor-turned-showrunner is neither Right nor Left, but he certainly isn’t woke. That became clear during a January chat with Spotify superstar Joe Rogan. The two mocked the notion of “toxic masculinity,” with Sheridan revealing the thinking behind his TV empire.

“You need masculinity and femininity,” he explained before taking on the Left’s word police movement.

“It’s fascinating that language is being reinvented before our eyes. There’s all these new words that are just meant to keep one person from disagreeing with another person’s position.”

Woke is the enemy of creative storytelling. Sheridan, no matter his political leanings, instinctively gets that. His growing body of work captures that philosophy. It’s no wonder he conquered TV in the Age of Woke. He had little competition.

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Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at HollywoodInToto.com.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.