‘I do rage-bait them a bit’: Taylor Sheridan rips into TV critics, and vows to never return to Los Angeles unless ‘it secedes from the union’

Taylor Sheridan has declared he has no intention of ever returning to Los Angeles, stating that the only way he would set foot in the city is if “it secedes from the union” and he gets “drafted” to help “take it back.” The creator of the massive Yellowstone empire is clearly finished with the industry norms of the West Coast, preferring his life in Texas and Wyoming while he continues to churn out hit series like Landman and The Madison.

Sheridan recently opened up about his approach to television during an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast, as reported by Variety. He was there to promote his new book, How Not to Die in Prison, which he co-wrote with Tom Nelson. Throughout the conversation, he made it crystal clear that he isn’t interested in chasing awards or listening to the notes provided by network and studio executives. He believes the modern industry has lost its way by relying on marketing professionals rather than actual storytellers.

According to Sheridan, the current crop of executives knows nothing about the craft of developing a story. He noted that many of these individuals rose through the ranks after starting in mailrooms or as interns, eventually finding themselves in positions of power. He argued that these executives now demand character synopses before the audience even meets the characters, a practice he finds absurd. He feels that the business is currently governed by people who want to control every single element of a production.

This frustration extends to his view on modern blockbusters

Sheridan specifically pointed to Marvel as a prime example of poor storytelling. He criticized those films for relying on information dumps to reach action sequences instead of using the camera and dialogue to naturally move the plot forward. He longs for the days when writers and directors were turned loose to create without the interference of endless rewrites and meetings about tone.

Sheridan admits he isn’t just ignoring the critics; he is actively provoking them. He discussed his decision to underutilize Demi Moore in the first season of Landman, knowing full well it would draw fire from reviewers. He explained that he intentionally chose to keep her character near a swimming pool for the majority of the season, knowing the critics would claim he couldn’t write for women.