Yellowstone Creator Taylor Sheridan Was Shocked By How Accurate The Series Turned Out To Be

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Today, Taylor Sheridan is so much more than a prolific writer of popular TV shows. The "Yellowstone" creator has become a true creative force, pumping out one hit show after another, buying two major ranches in Texas, and establishing what seems to outsiders like his own little Taylor Sheridan nation-state. He's essentially become a real-life version of Kevin Costner's John Dutton — y'know, without all the cold-blooded murder. One thing Sheridan and John Dutton absolutely do share, however, is political and social influence in their respective states, and it seems Sheridan was surprised to learn just how accurate a lot of his "Yellowstone" writing was in that regard.

The writer now oversees a vast empire of hit shows, including everything from the oil drama "Landman" to the Sylvester Stallone-led punch fest "Tulsa King." But it all started with "Yellowstone," the series that single-handedly revived the Western genre for a new generation. Sheridan's neo-Western showcased his ability to blend prestige TV with soapy storylines into an irresistible formula that earned consistently impressive ratings throughout its 2018-2024 run. People loved Kevin Costner as a ruthless rancher dedicated to protecting his land at all costs. Though he was inarguably a terrible person (he and the Duttons did some downright heinous things throughout "Yellowstone"), Costner's paterfamilias became an icon, at least to dads across the nation — perhaps because he both reflected their perennial struggles with family and finances while also providing an aspirational aspect in his ruthless ability to dispatch challengers.

While Sheridan might not be directing his lackeys to dump bodies at the Train Station, he has become remarkably reminiscent of John Dutton himself. In the process, he's been surprised at how true to life his own "Yellowstone" scripts were.

Taylor Sheridan is as surprised by the realism of Yellowstone as anyone

Today, Taylor Sheridan owns and operates The Four Sixes Ranch and Bosque Ranch. He also charged Paramount to shoot "Yellowstone" on those ranches, and has been embraced by the elites of the Lone Star State, having been inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame in 2024. That honor came three years after Sheridan was similarly welcomed into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. Now, he finds himself overseeing vast swathes of land and commanding the respect of prominent local figures and institutions while enjoying significant economic and political influence. Sounds like someone we know, right?

Well, the John Dutton comparisons weren't lost on the "Yellowstone" creator when he spoke to The Hollywood Reporter back in 2023. "The real impetus behind 'Yellowstone,'" he explained during the interview, "was always that if you're the owner of an amount of land that vast, you're kind of a king, and morality doesn't apply." Of course, Sheridan hasn't adopted the moral code of John Dutton, but it seems he was surprised by how similar his own experience has been to the head of the Dutton dynasty:

"I was surprised by the amount of political influence that we have [with the ranch]. I don't know why I was surprised — I wrote it into 'Yellowstone.' But what we do or don't do can influence a market. So even though I wrote about John Dutton having that kind of influence, I never really fathomed myself having it."

Well, now he does and it seems his "Yellowstone" scripts, with all their irresistible melodrama, were more realistic than anyone thought — Sheridan included. But that speaks to an significant point about the Sheridan-verse in general.

Taylor Sheridan shows are more realistic than their reputation suggests

Since buying Four Sixes, Taylor Sheridan has been on a mission to build the brand, buying steakhouses that use Four Sixes beef and using his own shows to promote Four Sixes products. At this point, he's not only responsible for the ranch's 270,000 acres but also for everyone who works on them, and he seems to be totally committed to living up to that responsibility. 

It's a bit of a full circle moment for the "Yellowstone" creator, considering the Four Sixes was the inspiration behind the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch in the first place. Now, he finds himself overseeing the real-life version, and apparently it's not all that unlike John Dutton's experience. But that shouldn't actually be all that surprising — at least if you consider how realism has always been Sheridan's secret weapon.

That often manifests in the romantic and familiar relationships in his shows. From the very beginning of "Yellowstone," Luke Grimes' Kayce Dutton and Kelsey Asbille's Monica Long Dutton shared scenes that resonated on a deeper level than any of the show's more outlandish elements ever could. Their dialogue felt naturalistic, and the actors did an outstanding job of selling a relationship that felt consistently believable. The same is true on other Sheridan series. Billy Bob Thornton's favorite scene with Jacob Lofland in "Landman," for instance, is one of the most heartfelt and affecting TV moments of the last few years. With that in mind, there is a sense in which Sheridan shouldn't have been all that surprised at his ability to capture real life when it came to the experience of powerful ranchers. He has a knack for writing reality, even within the larger paradigm of absurd neo-Western soaps.