14
Those Who Wish Me Dead
Angelina Jolie stars as a firefighter in this 2021 box-office bomb, which has more to do with a kid running from assassins than it does actual firefighting. Luckily, Sheridan has so many projects that it’s okay if you’ve never even heard of this one.
13
Without Remorse
Critics didn’t love Sheridan’s Tom Clancy adaptation, but Without Remorse still has fantastic leads: Michael B. Jordan and Queen & Slim’s Jodie Turner-Smith. The project sat in development hell for more than twenty years—the rights to the novel were bought in 1993—with Mission: Impossible’s Christopher McQuarrie parting ways with the production in the process. So you can’t really blame this one on any one party.
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12
The Last Cowboy
Only major Sheridan heads may recognize this one, but the Yellowstone creator actually started a horse-riding competition series over at CMT titled The Last Cowboy. It’s entertaining enough for newcomers to the sport while also providing technical details for those who are more adept. Still, the series could include a lot less talking and a lot more riding.
11
Sicario: Day of the Soldado
When this Sicario sequel came out in 2018, Josh Brolin was the king of the world, starring in both Deadpool 2 and Avengers: Infinity War that year. Though Day of the Soldado doesn’t hold a candle to the original film, it’s still a must-watch for Sicario fans.
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10
Wind River
Wind River established the working relationship between Sheridan and Jeremy Renner, but it was clear from this second-career feature that the Yellowstone writer experienced a bit of a sophomore slump. The story, which takes on the plight of Indigenous women in America, would be explored with much more depth on shows like 1923.
9
Mayor of Kingstown
Though Jeremy Renner leads this prison drama with gusto and grit, Mayor of Kingstown just might be Sheridan’s weakest series yet. The bits with Renner brokering deals between the city’s gangs and its massive prison system are intriguing enough, but too much time throughout Kingstown‘s three seasons is spent on the awful physical abuse of the mayor’s femme fatale.
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8
Tulsa King
Sylvester Stallone was the perfect choice for this bizarre mob series that sends a New York City mafioso—who is just out of prison—over to Oklahoma to kick up some extra cash for the family. Naturally, there isn’t much to do in Tulsa, but Stallone makes it work.
7
Hell or High Water
The multi-hyphenate’s most famous film features Chris Pine and Ben Foster as two bank robbers on the run from Texas Rangers. Sheridan also garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay—and had Yellowstone greenlit by Paramount just a year later.
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6
1923
It’s hard to fully judge 1923, since we’re in the middle of its two-season arc, but the second Yellowstone spin-off series really brought an insane amount of content our way. Brandon Sklenar’s Spencer Dutton fights lions in Africa and braves the high seas. We also have Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren on the Dutton ranch. What an insane idea—and major kudos to Sheridan for pulling it off.
5
Special Ops: Lioness
Based on a real-life undercover CIA program, Lioness represented entirely new territory for Sheridan. Previously, every series followed an archetypical American cowboy operating in a different town. Lioness has the feel of something like Mayor of Kingstown—in that it closely examines American policy in a way in which no one usually walks away a winner. But it’s also a nice change of pace to see Sheridan do something more female-focused. Let’s see where he takes it in season 2.
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4
Lawmen: Bass Reeves
David Oyelowo is fantastic on Lawmen: Bass Reeves, which is based on a legendary real-life lawman. Though the series lost its way toward the end (see: Barry Pepper’s dubiously iconic line “What do you think about my dinosaur bones, Bass Reeves?”), Oyelowo portrays the first Black U.S. deputy marshal of the west with the kind of respect and reverence that the long-forgotten hero deserved.
3
Sicario
The first film to get Taylor Sheridan in the room as one of the most in-demand writers of his time, Sicario stars Josh Brolin as a CIA officer who teams up with an FBI agent (Emily Blunt) and a vengeful assassin (Benicio del Toro) to apprehend a dangerous Sonora Cartel lieutenant.
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2
1883
Oh, you want cowboys? I’ll give you cowboys. Hell, Sheridan even gave us cowboy numero uno Sam Elliott to lead off this Yellowstone limited series, alongside country stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Tracking the earliest Duttons in America as they travel the Oregon Trail and settle in Montana, it’s the ideal prequel for Yellowstone fans.
1
Yellowstone
Like Succession with horses instead of board meetings, Yellowstone created a TV empire that grew out of a damaged Montana family to become the most-watched drama on cable television. Kevin Costner won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Drama this past year, and even the supporting cast maintains a die-hard fan base (which is good, because now the remaining Dutton children must carry out the finale without Costner). Shows like Yellowstone essentially reestablished the American western on cable television, inspiring every aspiring actor and their dog to have at least one headshot with a cowboy hat.
