Not Yellowstone, but this Paramount+ crime drama was Taylor Sheridan's first-ever TV script

Taylor Sheridan has carved his place among the most accomplished television writers in a relatively short span of time. He began his career as an actor in 1995 and ventured into filmmaking years later in 2011.

After receiving critical acclaim for films like Wind River and Hell or High Water, Sheridan entered the world of television by creating Paramount Network’s massively successful Western drama Yellowstone in 2018.

However, Yellowstone was not the first television script that Sheridan wrote. In a recent interview with Peter Berg for Gold Derby, the filmmaker revealed that Mayor of Kingstown was actually the first-ever TV show script he worked on.

Taylor Sheridan worked on Mayor of Kingstown before Yellowstone

Starring Jeremy Renner, Mayor of Kingstown premiered on Paramount+ in 2021, three years after Yellowstone. However, Taylor Sheridan had worked on the crime drama’s pilot before he started writing the Western drama. Talking about it in his interview, Sheridan said:

“The first thing I ever wrote was the pilot episode of Mayor of Kingstown. The idea came to me from a friend of mine who's on the show and executive producer of the show, and a lightning bolt clicked in my head. And as we were discussing this idea, and I said, let me write this down.”

The creator added that he started writing at 8 PM and was done with the pilot’s script by 7 AM of the next day. Taylor Sheridan also opened up about how he learned the art of scriptwriting, revealing that he mostly got the hang of it by his own experience as an actor:

“I have a 20-year education on how not to do it. From all the sh-t I've read, the sh** I've had to speak that is lazy writing exposition in the dialogue, telling me backstory in third person. I don't try to tell the director what to do. I don't ever write camera angles or any of that sh**.”

He added:

“I tell you what the camera sees. I tell you what the audience hears, or the characters hear, and I tell you what the world looks like, and then I let the images move the plot, and the characters react to what's happened. And I've stuck to that model.”

Taylor Sheridan was eventually hired to create and write Yellowstone, and Mayor of Kingstown took a backseat until Paramount+ ordered the series in 2020. The show is set in a fictional company town where the McLusky family, led by Michael "Mike" McLusky, uses their power and influence to maintain peace.

Yellowstone, meanwhile, revolves around the Dutton family, the owners of the largest ranch in Montana, who have to protect their land against various enemies. The show recently concluded its five-season run and is now gearing up for a sequel series.

Trending

At the same time, it has paved the way for several spin-offs, including 1883, 1923, and The Madison. The rest of Taylor Sheridan’s shows include Lioness, Tulsa King, and Landman, all of which are available to stream on Paramount+.

For more news and updates about the Sheridanverse, stay tuned to Soap Central.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback