The decision to expand Taylor Sheridan‘s sprawling Yellowstonefranchise to linear television appears to have paid off, even without the hit-maker’s direct creative involvement. The Yellowstone franchise began in 2018 with the titular series, which ended its five-season run rather abruptly in 2023 following reports of behind-the-scenes disputes between Sheridan and star Kevin Costner. Since then, Sheridan has delivered the hit prequels 1883and 1923, in addition to continuing his success streak with a string of other, non-Yellowstone titles. However, with his Paramount contract partially expired, he isn’t creatively involved with the two latest installments of the franchise — at least not to the degree he’s accustomed to. This is a major change from the norm, given that Sheridan had earned notoriety for eschewing traditional TV writers’ rooms and commanding an atypical level of creative authority on his projects.
