Folks, I love the wild west chaos Taylor Sheridan brings to the table, but man, I really did wish he’d stuck to his original plan. The one that could’ve actually saved both 1923 and Yellowstone from the mess they’re in now. That plan’s now gone. And now we’re left with delays and storylines that feel like they’re galloping in circles.

Sheridan had a clear vision once of a tight, interconnected universe that made sense. But somewhere along the way, things derailed. That plan failed. Instead of building a legacy, we’re watching cracks form in the Dutton dynasty, and frankly, it didn’t have to be this way.

Taylor Sheridan’s solo ride: Why “that plan failed” for Yellowstone and 1923

Here’s the truth: that plan failed and I’ve been grumbling about it ever since. When Taylor Sheridan admitted he originally wanted to create pilots and hand the reins over to a writers’ room, I actually thought — yes, that could’ve saved Yellowstone and 1923. But he didn’t stick to it.

When Yellowstone season 5 hit in late 2022, it was on fire. But the second half was delayed all the way to November 2024. Meanwhile, 1923, meant to be the emotional bridge between 1883 and the Dutton present, was just stalled. And here’s where Sheridan’s lone wolf writing style starts to crack under pressure.

He said it himself during an interview with IndieWire:

[I thought] I would write, cast and direct the pilots, and then we would bring in someone as a showrunner to run a writers room and I could check in and guide them. That plan failed…There were some things that none of us foresaw.

Look, I respect the hell out of his passion. He’s a storytelling machine. “I cannot do ‘OK’ at a job,” he said in the same interview. But refusing a writer’s room because they don’t share the same motivation is not artistic freedom but creative burnout waiting to happen.

His process is fast, solo, and intense. “I’ve written many episodes in eight to 10 hours,” he bragged. But maybe that speed is why we’re stuck waiting nearly two years for Yellowstone’s final six episodes.

TS built a universe. But even cowboys need a posse. And if he’d followed through on that original plan, maybe both shows wouldn’t be limping toward their finish lines.

Taylor Sheridan’s spy thriller with an Oscar winner takes off on Netflix

Taylor Sheridan added another hit to his growing universe, and this time, it’s not set in Montana. Special Ops: Lioness, his 2023 spy thriller starring Oscar winner Zoe Saldaña, dropped on Netflix and rocketed into the Top 10 instantly, per Tudum.

The series originally aired on Paramount+, but after being licensed to Netflix on April 17, it surged to sixth place on the global charts, tying with A Discovery of Witches at 3.4 million views and 20 million hours watched.

Saldaña plays CIA officer Joe McNamara, leading a group of female operatives known as Lionesses. And this role meant more to her than just action scenes. She took it on to confront her dyslexia and anxiety. “I dared myself to believe that maybe I can pull it off,” she said (via People), and clearly, she did.