There’s no doubt that Taylor Sheridan is one of Paramount’s star writers.
Since pivoting away from acting, Sheridan has become one of the most prolific screenwriters in Hollywood and helped redefine the Western genre with his hit series “Yellowstone.”
He’s so prolific that Paramount had been spending more than $500 million a year producing his shows, The Wall Street Journal reported in 2023.
And that number could be set to increase as his slate of “Yellowstone” spinoffs and other shows grows.
While “Yellowstone” may be ending this year, following on from the success of “1883” and “1923,” Sheridan will likely continue expanding the franchise with several other prequels, sequels, and spinoffs.
Here’s what we know about the projects he’s working on.
1.’Yellowstone’
The show that started it all is currently in its fifth season.
The neo-western series, which centers on the Duttons, a family of US ranchers, has become a hugely popular show since it launched in 2018.
When it first hit screens, Sheridan, who created the series alongside John Linson, took on the roles of writer and director.
But he’s since loosened the reins a bit, bringing on other directors.
The show returned for the second half of season five on November 10.
2. ‘The Madison’
While announcing that the flagship series would be drawing to a close last year, Paramount bosses promised “expansions of this incredible world” that Sheridan had built.
In February 2024, Puck reported that Matthew McConaughy and Michelle Pfieffer were in negotiations to lead the cast of a present-day continuation titled “2024.”
It has since been officially announced that Pfieffer will star and executive produce the new series, which has been renamed “The Madison.”
Franchise boss Sheridan will be writing the series, which is set to follow a family of New York City natives who live in the Madison River valley of central Montana.
Per Paramount Network, “the series is a heartfelt study of grief and human connection.”
Chris McCarthy, the president and CEO of Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios, said of Pfieffer’s casting: “She is the perfect anchor to the newest chapter of the ‘Yellowstone’ universe, ‘The Madison,’ from the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan.”
There’s no word yet on what McConaughey’s future in the “Yellowstone” world is.
3. ‘1923’
“1923” focuses on the second and third generations of the Duttons in the early 20th century. It was originally set to be a limited series, but a surprise announcement of a second season came soon after it premiered in 2023.
Dubbed a “Yellowstone” origin story, the series has featured stars like Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford.
The show was set to go into production for season two in June 2023, but the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes delayed filming until mid-2024
“Dexter” star Jennifer Carpenter, Augustus Prew, and Janet Montgomery are among the new faces joining the cast for the second season.
4. ‘1944’
“1944” is yet another “Yellowstone” spinoff series that Sheridan has had greenlighted from Paramount. It’s also the one we know the least about.
It’s expected that it will — like the previous prequels “1883” and “1923” — take place in the titular year and focus on the difficulties the Duttons faced during the wartime period.
5. ‘6666’
This long-teased “Yellowstone” franchise extension, which was first announced in early 2021 and originally set to debut in 2023, is said to revolve around the history of a Texas-based ranch that Sheridan now owns.
However, the future of the show remains up in the air. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter last year, Sheridan explained the delays in getting “6666” (pronounced “four-sixes”) off the ground.
“That, for a number of reasons, needs a unique level of special care because this is a real place with real families working here. You have to respect the lineage,” he said. “I’ve told [the studio] to be patient.”
6.’Landman’
Based on the podcast “Boomtown,” the series has been billed as a “modern-day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs” in Texas, per a synopsis from Paramount+.
The show will star Demi Moore and Billy Bob Thornton and is described as “‘an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.”
Sheridan has cocreated the series with Christian Wallace and serves as an executive producer.
The series is set to premiere on November 17.
7. ‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves’
The first season of the series, on which Sheridan served as an executive producer, told the story of legendary lawman Bass Reeves, one of the first Black US marshals west of the Mississippi River.
According to lead star David Oyelowo, who also served as an executive producer, the series was set up to be an anthology series, with each season focusing on “other lawmen in history whose story should be told.“
“Lawmen” hasn’t been renewed for a second season just yet, but the success of the first season is an encouraging sign that it will be; the first two episodes of the show brought in more than 7.5 million viewers, Deadline reported, setting a record for Paramount+’s most-watched series premiere in 2023.
8. ‘Special Ops: Lioness’
The first season of the espionage thriller “Special Ops: Lioness,” which Sheridan created and executive produced, premiered in the summer of 2023, and a second began airing in October 2024.
Inspired by a real-life US military program focused on bringing down terrorist organizations from within, the first season starred Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira, Nicole Kidman, and Morgan Freeman.
9. ‘Tulsa King’
“Tulsa King,” which featured Sylvester Stallone’s first leading role in a scripted television series, debuted in late 2022.
The series focuses on an aging mafia capo after he’s released from a 25-year prison sentence and sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to set up a new criminal organization. Sheridan created and executive produced the series.
Season 2 premiered in September.
10. ‘Mayor of Kingstown’
“Mayor of Kingstown” was the first series Sheridan created as part of his deal with Paramount.
Starring Jeremy Renner, the series is set in the fictional town of Kingstown, Michigan, and follows the powerful McLusky family as they attempt to bring justice and order to a community rife with corruption.
A third season of the show premiered in June.
11. “The Road”
Sheridan has teamed up with “The Voice” coach and country star Blake Shelton for a new singing competition show for CBS.
“The Road,” which will launch as part of the network’s fall 2025 schedule, will follow “a headlining superstar on their journey to discover the next big artist,” per a press release.
Competitors will perform as opening acts for the headliner’s tour at venues across the US and will have to win over local fans to advance to the next location, the press release says.
Sheridan and Shelton will executive produce the upcoming series along with “The Voice” producer Lee Metzger and “Yellowstone” producer David Glasser.
“There is a revolution taking place in country music. Building a platform with Blake for the next leaders of that revolution is an incredibly exciting venture,” Sheridan said in the press release.
12. “Empire Of The Summer Moon”
As if all of Sheridans’ existing commitments weren’t enough, it was announced in January 2024 that he and his Bosque Ranch production company had optioned the Pulitzer Prize finalist book “Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History,” by S.C. Gwynne.
According to Deadline, Sheridan will produce the project alongside Jenny Wood.
The book looks at the story of Quanah Parker, a chief of the Indian Comanche tribe, and the tribe’s forty-year battle against white settlers for control of the American West.
The post A guide to Taylor Sheridan’s latest and upcoming ‘Yellowstone’ spinoffs, sequels, and other projects appeared first on Business Insider.
