Well, pardner, it sure looks like the Taylor Sheridan-verse is hanging up its hat with Paramount and riding off into the sunset with NBCUniversal.
Earlier this week, news broke that the showrunner and producer behind hit shows like Yellowstone, Tulsa King, Landman and Lioness would be parting ways with his longtime creative home. Sheridan struck a major deal with the Comcast-owned conglomerate that begins in 2028 after his Paramount contract expires. (That's specifically for TV shows; Sheridan has an eight-year commitment to generate movies for NBCUniversal that begins in March.)
Under the terms of his new deal, Sheridan will write and develop series for Universal and its respective platforms including NBC and Peacock. David Glassier’s 101 Studios, which produces all of Sheridan’s shows, will also move to Universal following the expiration of the Paramount deal.
What exactly does all of this mean for the future of Sheridan, Paramount, and NBCUniversal? Here’s everything you need to know about the motives behind Sheridan’s big move — and what the fallout will be.
Why is Sheridan leaving Paramount?
Simply put, reports indicate that Sheridan was not happy with Paramount's new leadership amid the executive shifts and shakeups due to the $8 billion Skydance-Paramount merger. That long-in-the-works deal officially closed this summer and saw David Ellison come aboard as the new chief executive officer. Previously, Sheridan enjoyed a close relationship with former Paramount executives Chris McCarthy and Keyes Hill-Edgar, both of whom departed amid the leadership purge.
Meanwhile, Paramount’s new streaming head, Cindy Holland, had reportedly been concerned about the budget of Sheridan’s many and varied projects, due to the involvement of big stars like Sylvester Stallone and Nicole Kidman. Even before Sheridan alerted Ellison of his imminent departure, reports circulated that he had met and was in advanced talks with Donna Langley, Universal’s veteran film chief, who was also recently put in charge of TV programming for NBCU.
What does this mean for Yellowstone and Landman?
Don't worry — the Duttons aren't going anywhere. While Yellowstone's mothership series officially ended in 2024 after five seasons, Sheridan has been actively building out the Dutton Ranch universe for some time. Two prequel series, 1883 and 1923, both explored how the Dutton family came to own their piece of Big Sky Country. And Sheridan has more stories up his sleeve, including shows like 1944, The Madison, and Y: Marshals, which will star Yellowstone actor Luke Grimes. Another spin-off, Dutton Ranch will center on fan favorites Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser.
Sheridan's other Paramount series will similarly remain Paramount+ exclusives. Tulsa King recently debuted its third season, which sets up a NOLA King spin-off led by Samuel L. Jackson. Landman returns for Season 2 on Nov. 16, and the ink is finally dry on a Season 3 renewal for Lioness fresh off of star Zoe Saldaña's Oscar win. When Sheridan departs Paramount three years from now, he'll remain an executive producer on whichever series are still standing, but creative duties will be handed off to new writers, directors and showrunners.
What awards have Sheridan’s shows received?
While Yellowstone, 1923, Lioness, and Tulsa King have received Emmy nods for their stunts and other below-the-line achievements, none of the series have been recognized in major categories like directing, writing, or acting despite amassing many fans and having prominent A-listers attached to the series.
"Why do you think that is — is it my clothes?" Stallone recently joked to Gold Derby about the show's lack of Emmy recognition. "It's nice to win awards, but the real reward with this show is that it's held together in an incredibly competitive marketing place."
Time will tell if NBCUniversal will be able to position Sheridan’s shows better for the ultra-competitive TV awards season.
What does this mean for Paramount+ and Peacock?
In the wild west that is the streaming wars, Sheridan’s shows were a trusty sidearm for Paramount's viewership-challenged streamer. The fact that Paramount+ will be able to hold onto that valuable library for its back catalogue will help keep it insulated from an abundance of audience erosion.
Meanwhile, Peacock — which also is trying to establish a firmer foothold in the streaming marketplace — should benefit from having a popular TV showrunner in its arsenal. Three years is a long time to wait... but Sheridan's arrival will be a giant feather in Peacock's cap.
BUMMER
These new executives mess everything thing up look at blue bloods same line cost, swat same line cost, give me a break really?they think they know better they know nothing but greed. Enjoy the success and stop trying to make more and produce less.
I used to wait tables with Sheridan in 93 back in New York. We’d go out for drinks after work. Only difference was he knew when to stop! A bit jealous of all that success still!
This is soooo funny
Why?
I love all of his shows. Strong characters and great story lines. The female roles are believable so funny aome that make you want to aspire to do more with your life. He will be missed when he leaves.
As long as Lioness continues in some way with Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldana, it makes no difference where the show is hosted as long as it keeps going. I’m sure other folks can say the same about their favorites too. Taylor Sheridan is brilliant and has made some awesome shows. Just keep them up!
You Know Kevin Costner seen this coming and so did I. Sometimes people over extend their abilities. This is the case here. Good writer just too much on his plate. Too long to get releases and people don’t want to wait that long. People loose interest and now with shows changing once again I think it will hurt his credibility as it has somewhat Costners. Just my opinion
The words are saw and lose, not seen and loose. Adults should know this.
I agree with you.why can’t Sheridan do one series at a time and complete it before going on with a new one here & a new one there.run the episodes on time & quit pausing.it took 1923 forever to come out & the continue season 2 again forever.people get sick of waiting.just like landmark i love that show & here we are waiting for season 2 finally maybe with a start date.we did not even know if there was going to be a season 2.then Tulsa King same thing as Landman.what happened to sequel 6666.what happened to sequel with Kelly & Cole.This is what i am talking about.They say it is coming then we are stuck waiting for nothing so far,then here we have a new sequel Marshals imagine that.Quit jumping around between networks,we all can’t afford to keep paying for a new one.Paramount t,then peacock,next it will be prime video.what is wrong with the plain networks like nbc,abc,cbs,you would get alot more of an audience if you stay on one & play them on time.sorry so long but alot of frustration built up.
It means I will get the part
I knew the minute they stated Ellis was going to be involved I thought something is going to get F up. I’m sticking with Taylor, n bet it was his true honest way to get away from that spoiled brat by his father to try n lead something n people to be bossy n not have much knowledge in that role he took. Because money talks unfortunately. I’m dumping my subscription with Paramount Plus. They should have tried to resolve this. I’ll be watching all Taylor’s movies.
It’s all starts with the writing. Paramount will play it safe without Sheridan and crank out standard mediocre Hollywood regurgitation. You can’t have great vision without the visionary. They never learn…
Yellowstone was available on peacock after show ended on paramount will this arrangement continue for his new shows airing on paramount?
I think it’s bull crap paramount is the best channel to watch all his shows 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Peacock and its programming serve as little more than a platform for commercials. A horrible experience watching TV shows on Peacock. I will no longer do it. Sorry Sheridan moved
In Taylor we trust.. Wherever he lands I’m following. I liked him in Sons of anarchy where he was told he couldn’t act by executives so did he just give up ? No- he dug in his spurs and said I’ll make them all say maybe we were wrong. Such a brilliant mind . I was a fan before Yellowstone and will be till I leave this earth. Keep going Pard, your true fans will follow.
Sheridan is leaving Paramount because the TV Gods didn’t want to pay him what he is worth. It always comes down to money and Paramount believing they know more about what we want to watch than what we do. I will watch Sheridan shows because of his shows content and not the network it is on.
Its ALWAYS about the money.
I don’t understand Sheridan’s shows not winning lots of awards . We realized that he’s a real peacock always taking a role in his shows . But we always waited with such excitement for each one of them to start .. So I think his shows are awesome and Paramont will really really miss him when he’s gone . Peacock scored BIG !
Love Taylor’s work and I will follow him.
Taylor Sheridan clearly does not care about his fan base. The conclusion of Yellow Stone was so extremely disappointing. After fans invested time and emotion in this incredible stand alone series we were left saying why. How could such a high caliber writer give us this ridiculous crappy ending. So we’re disappointed and we move on. We move on to shows like Landman, Tulsa King. We invest time and emotion again. Now TS is leaving these shows again. Really? There’s no integrity, no sense of dedication. He doesn’t care. His fans mean nothing to him. Well let me tell you something his fans will make him or break him. If you don’t have a fan base you’re nothing. You TS are reaching that point.