‘Yellowstone’ creator Taylor Sheridan on why he won’t use writer’s rooms
Taylor Sheridan, the mind behind television series like Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown and Tulsa King, is distinctive in his approach to television production. These series, characterised by their cowboy-centric storylines, have carved out a substantial audience as middle American alternatives to more prestigious, high-brow dramas.
One distinguishing feature of Sheridan’s series is his approach to writing. Unlike many in the industry, Sheridan personally scripts the majority of his television shows. This practice wasn’t initially his intention when transitioning from acting, with credits on Veronica Mars and Sons of Anarchy, to working exclusively behind the camera.
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Sheridan discussed his original plan: to emulate Greg Berlanti (of CW’s Arrowverse franchise) by writing, casting and directing the pilots, then hiring a showrunner to manage a writers’ room. This strategy, however, “failed”, according to Sheridan.
The decision to avoid writers’ rooms wasn’t simply a preference but a necessary shift in strategy. Sheridan explained, “For me, writers’ rooms – they haven’t worked.” This philosophy of one writer crafting an entire show’s narrative contrasts with the standard model of television writing, which often involves collaboration.
Sheridan’s approach to storytelling focuses on character-driven narratives, a departure from conventional television writing. He stated that writers’ rooms often didn’t align with this approach, leading to discrepancies in the execution of his vision for the Kevin Costner-led series.
“When you hire a room that may not be motivated by those same qualities,” Sheridan explained, “and I give this directive, and they’re not feeling it – then they’re going to come up with their own qualities.”
Sheridan’s unique approach to storytelling and a firm commitment to creative freedom continue to shape his work, with the actor/writer maintaining, even throughout all the various Yellowstone spin-offs, that “The freedom of the artist to create must be unfettered.”
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