Taylor Sheridan Revealed Why HBO Didn't Want 'Yellowstone'
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In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Taylor Sheridan, the creator of Yellowstone, opened up about the show's humble beginnings. According to Sheridan, Yellowstone almost never saw the light of day—thanks to an unnamed HBO executive who didn’t believe in the concept.
Sheridan originally wrote Yellowstone as a film, but he decided to turn it into a series, eventually pitching the concept to HBO. Back then, former HBO executive Michael Lombardo loved the idea. “I thought Taylor was the real deal,” Lombardo told THR when asked about the show. “In a world of people who pose, he was writing what he knew, and he cared desperately about the show. The idea of doing a modern-classic Western was a good idea—we were always doing urban shows, and this felt fresh.”
With Lombardo’s approval, Yellowstone went into development, but the series was ultimately shuttered due to creative differences between Sheridan and the rest of the HBO team. The first issue was finding an actor to play the lead character, John Dutton. Sheridan had Kevin Costner in mind—who ultimately played the role and won a Golden Globe for his performance—but Sheridan claims that HBO didn’t agree with his casting choice.
“They said, ‘We want Robert Redford,’” Sheridan recalled. “They said, ‘If you can get us Robert Redford, we’ll greenlight the pilot.” Naturally, Sheridan found the actor and convinced him to join the cast. But the network wasn't impressed. After going back and forth with the development team, an executive allegedly said, “We meant a Robert Redford type.”
After that call, Sheridan held a lunch meeting with the network’s Vice President to sort things out. During the conversation, John Linson, the co-creator of Yellowstone, asked, “Why don’t you want to make it?.” As Sheridan recalls, the V.P said, “Look, it just feels so Middle America. We’re HBO, we’re avant-garde, we’re trendsetters. This feels like a step backward. And frankly, I’ve got to be honest, I don’t think anyone should be living out there [in Montana]. It should be a park or something.”
HBO also had an issue with the Dutton family's strong-willed daughter, Beth. According to Sheridan, he was told the character was “too abrasive” and the network claimed that “women won’t like her.” After listening to the critiques, Sheridan said, “OK, everybody done? Who on this call is responsible for a scripted show that you guys have on the air? Oh, you’re not. Thanks.” After that, he hung up and HBO “never called back.”
Under usual circumstances, that would have been the end of Yellowstone. When a series goes into development, the connected network gains partial ownership—and can hold onto a project even if it never premieres. Thankfully, Sheridan had a stroke of luck. In 2016, Lombardo left HBO, and before parting ways with the network, he gave Sheridan the script back.
We all know what happens next. Eventually, Yellowstone was acquired by Paramount and became a hit series. Since its premiere in 2018, the drama has churned out five seasons and two spinoffs, all while earning a slew of Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Meanwhile, Sheridan became a coveted writer in the industry. Apparently, one of the former execs even reached out to congratulate Sheridan on his success and pitch a new family drama. “Great idea,” Sheridan wrote back. “It sounds just like Yellowstone.”
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