I Miss The Pre-Yellowstone Taylor Sheridan, And It’s Not Because I Think It’s A Bad Show

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I’ve got nothing against the ever-expanding Yellowstone universe or Taylor Sheridan’s various TV projects that are mostly available with a Paramount+ subscription, but I’ve been thinking about something lately. I recently went back and watched Wind River, and watching that gripping 2017 thriller sent me down a rabbit hole of Sheridan’s pre-Yellowstone work.

I really miss those days when Sheridan was writing (and directing in the case of Wind River) some of the best crime thrillers of the 2010s, projects that earned him all kinds of accolades, including an Oscar nomination for the harrowing Sicario. It’s no secret that the actor-turned-director is having unparalleled success with multiple shows on the 2025 TV schedule and beyond, but it’d be cool if he went back to his old days.

Don’t Get Me Wrong, Yellowstone Is A Good Show

Don’t think this is me coming at Yellowstone, because it’s a good show (as are the various spinoffs that have been popping up the past few years). From 2018 to 2024, the neo-Western drama series about the Dutton family taking on any and all challengers or anyone who got in their way was one of the biggest shows on TV, and for good reason. It didn’t win any Primetime Emmy Awards, but neither did The Wire, and that’s my favorite show of all time.

TV viewers and a lot of my colleagues at CinemaBlend were obsessed with the drama and action of the series during its five-season run on the Paramount Network (you can still stream old episodes with a Peacock subscription, by the way), and the Kevin Costner-led saga had everything you’d want in a show.

It’s Just That Sheridan’s Film Projects Have Fallen By The Wayside Since Creating The Yellowstone Universe

Since Yellowstone debuted in June 2018, Taylor Sheridan has created two prequel series set in the universe with 1883 and 1923, as well as the upcoming spinoff called The Madison. He’s also launched the Mayor of Kingstown, Lioness, Landman, and Tulsa King, with the latter getting the expansion treatment in the near future. Again, I have no problems with these shows, and I dig the ones that I’ve watched. However, his film projects have gone by the wayside in the 2020s.

Sheridan started the decade off with the fun throwback thriller Those Who Wish Me Dead and Without Remorse, a Tom Clancy adaptation starring Michael B. Jordan, but he hasn’t written or directed any movies since.

He Wrote Three Of The Best Thrillers Of The 2010s, And I’d Love For Him To Get Back To That

What’s crazy about this is the fact that Taylor Sheridan was responsible for three of the best movies of the 2010s. He went back-to-back with absolute bangers, starting with Sicario (directed by Denis Villeneuve) in 2015, followed by the Oscar-worthy Hell or High Water (directed by David Mackenzie) in 2016, and Wind River, which he wrote and directed, in 2017. That’s a trilogy of intense, incredibly written, and unforgettable crime thrillers with some of the best developed characters in years.

I would absolutely love for Sheridan to get into another groove like that and bang out three more ridiculously awesome movies again. I’d be there in theaters, on streaming services, or wherever they would land.

I don’t know what the future holds for Taylor Sheridan’s film work, but I can’t be the only one who wants to see his work back on the big screen.