Taylor Sheridan is one of the most successful producers working on TV today. He has a hand in creating over a dozen shows, most of which are available to stream on Paramount+.
Taylor Sheridan shows have a few things in common. They’re about rugged individualism, they tend to have all-star casts, and they are not created equal. Some Sheridan shows are definitely better than others. This is our guide to the best of the best.
Lioness
Hear them roar
Taylor Sheridan isn’t known for writing female characters particularly well, so maybe he figured he would challenge himself with Lioness, a spy drama about female operatives trained to go undercover in dangerous situations. Lioness has a typically star-studded cast. Oscar-winner Zoe Saldaña plays Joe McNamara, the CIA officer in charge of the Lioness program. Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman plays her boss, and Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman plays the U.S. Secretary of State. The whole cast does a great job, but these high-powered players add a lot of weight to the proceedings.
While a lot of Sheridan shows take place in one location, Lioness has its character zipping all over the globe fighting the war on terror. It’s also one of the more action-heavy shows in Sheridan’s stable. A third season of Lioness premieres on August 2, 2026, so now is the perfect time to catch up.
- Release Date
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July 23, 2023
- Network
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Paramount+
- Showrunner
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Taylor Sheridan
- Directors
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John Hillcoat, Anthony Byrne, Paul Cameron, Stephen Kay, Taylor Sheridan
- Writers
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Taylor Sheridan, Jill Wagner
Landman
Propaganda with style
Landman is about Tommy Norris, a corporate fixer working for a fictional oil company in Texas. Landman can be as over-dramatic and off-the-wall as any of Sheridan’s shows; there’s corporate backstabbing, character deaths, and even cartel kidnappings to deal with.
But Landman really succeeds or fails on the back of Billy Bob Thornton, who imbues Tommy with an irascible, contrarian charm. Some critics accuse the show of basically being propaganda for the oil industry, and they may have a point. But it doesn’t really matter, because watching Thornton smirk and snark his way through scenes is so much fun.
Landman also stars Demi Moore and (for a while) Jon Hamm, so it keeps up the Taylor Sheridan tradition of casting big names.
- Release Date
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November 17, 2024
- Network
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Paramount
- Writers
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Taylor Sheridan, Christian Wallace
- Franchise(s)
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Yellowstone
Yellowstone
The mothership show
This is the show that started it all. Yellowstone catalogs several years in the lives of the powerful Dutton family, who operate a sprawling ranch in Paradise Valley, Montana. Kevin Costner plays patriarch John Dutton, who tries to keep his business afloat while dealing with land developers, the neighboring Indian reservation, and the in-fighting of his own family. At times, Yellowstone can feel a little like a modern western take on a show like Succession.
Yellowstone goes off the rails a bit in its final season, but it’s still a landmark show with a hard-scrabble, melodramatic vibe. Technically, it’s not available to stream on Paramount+; Yellowstone streams on Peacock, but we couldn’t make a list of Taylor Sheridan shows without including it.
On the other hand, you can stream Yellowstone sequel shows like Dutton Ranch and Marshals on Paramount+. Of the two, Dutton Ranch does a better job of capturing the spirit of the original show.
- Release Date
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2018 – 2024
- Network
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Paramount Network
- Showrunner
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Taylor Sheridan
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Kevin Costner
John Dutton
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Mayor of Kingstown
Points for endurance
Mayor of Kingstown stars Jeremy Renner as Michael “Mike” McLusky, the head of a family charged with keeping the peace between gangs, prisoners, guards, and cops in the fictional town of Kingstown, MI, where the economy revolves around incarceration. It’s one of the bleaker shows in the Taylor Sheridan lineup, exploring issues like racism, corruption, and violence.
One thing that Mayor of Kingstown has over other Sheridan shows is that it’s put out new episodes every year since it premiered in 2021, with a fifth season on the way. For whatever reason, there tends to be a lot of behind-the-scenes drama on Sheridan shows, but Mayor of Kingstown has side-stepped that to become a reliable TV event.
- Release Date
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November 14, 2021
- Network
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Paramount+
- Showrunner
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Dave Erickson
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Jeremy Renner
Mike McLusky
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Tobi Bamtefa
Deverin ‘Bunny’ Washington
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Taylor Handley
Kyle McClusky
1883
The most complete show in Sheridan’s catalog
1883 is the first of two Yellowstone prequel shows. It stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as James and Margaret Dutton, hopeful settlers heading west. Sam Elliott also turns in an excellent performance as expedition leader Shea Brennan; with his winsome drawl and handlebar mustache, Elliott was born to be in a Taylor Sheridan show.
1883 portrays the reality of frontier life in all its brutality, and not all the characters make it out alive. Still, there’s an undercurrent of hope in the future that keeps you watching. In the end, 1883 is the most complete of all Sheridan’s shows; it lasts for exactly 10 episodes and really does feel like one long movie with a clear beginning, middle, and end. This show didn’t need another season; it’s perfect the way it is, and arguably the best thing Sheridan and his team have yet produced.
Another Yellowstone prequel show, 1923, is also worth watching, but doesn’t quite rise to the level of 1883.
- Release Date
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2021 – 2022-00-00
- Network
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Paramount+
- Showrunner
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Ron Burkle
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Faith Hill
Margaret Dutton
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Tulsa King
Rocky to the rescue
One of the most atypical shows in Sheridan’s stable, Tulsa King stars screen icon Sylvester Stallone as Dwight “The General” Manfredi, a mafioso from New York City who is sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma to establish a new criminal operation there. He recruits a team, deals with family problems, and makes both friends and enemies as he sets up shop.
Tulsa King has a bit of a lighter touch than a lot of Taylor Sheridan shows. There are more jokes, and the characters actually seem to support one another rather than always trying to tear each other down. That could have something to do with the fact that while Sheridan traditionally retains a lot of control over his shows, Stallone himself has a lot of input on Tulsa King. Whatever the reason, Tulsa King is an interesting, entertaining entry in the Sheridan-verse.
- Release Date
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November 13, 2022
- Network
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Paramount+
- Showrunner
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Dave Erickson, Terence Winter
- Directors
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Allen Coulter, Benjamin Semanoff, David Semel, Guy Ferland, Joshua Marston, Kevin Dowling, Lodge Kerrigan, Jim McKay
- Writers
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Joseph Riccobene, David Flebotte, William Schmidt, Taylor Elmore, Tom Sierchio, Regina Corrado, Stephen Scaia, Terence Winter
And the rest
If you enjoy these series, odds are that you’ll also like shows such as The Madison and Lawmen: Bass Reeves, even if they’re not Taylor Sheridan’s best. And if you want to explore the work of another prominent TV auteur, Netflix has over a dozen mystery thrillers from the mind of Harlan Coben for you to peruse.
