“What is the secret sauce of this guy?”: Yellowstone Creator Taylor Sheridan Has 3 Great Qualities That Make His Shows and Movies So Impeccably Addictive

Considering how much success Taylor Sheridan sees through his projects, fans have wondered what makes his works so widely received and good.

Yellowstone

SUMMARY

  • There is no denying that Taylor Sheridan is one of the most talented writers in Hollywood.
  • This has prompted many to wonder what is the root cause that makes his projects so good.
  • Fans have come up with three reasons behind why his projects are as successful as they are.
Show More
Featured Video

From Yellowstone to Wind River, and even the Mayor of Kingstown, Taylor Sheridan has dedicated his life to making masterpieces. His works have a certain uniqueness to them, capturing the complexities of mundane life in the most beautiful ways possible. Learning from his experiences as an actor, he shapes stories in a way that hypnotizes audiences in the best ways possible.

Advertisement
Taylor Sheridan in Yellowstone I Credit: Paramount Pictures
Taylor Sheridan in Yellowstone I Credit: Paramount Pictures

While there is no denying that he is an excellent writer and director, many have found it difficult to pinpoint what exactly makes his works so captivating. A fan asked this exact question in a Reddit thread, and the answers that this brought about were quite interesting.

However, his genius seems to have been narrowed down to three specific qualities that make his writing so convincingly good.

Advertisement

The Complexity in Simplicity

When Moralconsideration on Reddit put forth the question of why Taylor Sheridan is as successful and beloved as he is, many of his fans were quick to hypothesize reasons behind his genius. One fan started by talking about his writing specifically. Paying focuses on the kind of stories he makes; specifically, they talked about how simple he starts off.

Taylor Sheridan in Sons of Anarchy I Credit: FX
Taylor Sheridan in Sons of Anarchy I Credit: FX

Going off some of the most well-known and cliche tropes ever, audiences see him pick some very mundane settings and characters that feel familiar to many from the past. Using the archetypes to his advantage, he brings about so much complexity to such simple storylines.

Comment
byu/moralconsideration from discussion
inScreenwriting

Advertisement

Using a culinary example, they mentioned how he takes some of the most basic, and commonly used ingredients and turns them into a magnificent dish that no one has ever tasted before.

Taylor Sheridan’s Privilege As A Writer

Another fan focused on Taylor Sheridan’s career more than the work that he creates. Starting off as an actor, he gained popularity and recognition very quickly in his professional life. Due to his acclaim and reputation, a lot of doors opened for the aspiring writer and director. Studios began to trust him even more, and one specific film only added to this.

Yellowstone
Taylor Sheridan in Yellowstone | Credit: Paramount

In 2015, Sheridan got his first writing credit after single-handedly crafting the script for Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario. The film had an impressive cast full of some of the most talented actors in Hollywood and quickly became one of the most critically acclaimed films of his professional life.

Advertisement

Comment
byu/moralconsideration from discussion
inScreenwriting

Following this up with his classic, Hell or High Water, only added to the attention he got for the 2015 film, being yet another critically acclaimed, high-profile project. After so much success, it is not surprising that studios have built a sort of trusting relationship with the director and writer, wanting him to make more profitable films.

Emily Blunt in Sicario [Credit: Lionsgate Films]
Emily Blunt in Sicario I Credit: Lionsgate Films
Since he has the resources to do as he pleases, Sheridan can execute his visions to their full extent without the limitations that many creators and writers have.

Advertisement

Lessons Learned As An Actor

Finally, one fan believes that starting his career off as an actor seriously affected the way that Taylor Sheridan writes his stories. It is a well-known fact that some of the most talented directors in Hollywood have had their go at acting and been excellent at it. Several actors have gone on to become very talented filmmakers and writers, having learned a lot from the experiences on set.

Taylor Sheridan enacting in Yellowstone
Taylor Sheridan in Yellowstone | Credit: Paramount Pictures

With this in mind, they hypothesized that Sheridan must have felt that something was missing when he was only acting. From reading scripts and having ideas about how they could be better to simply want to play a specific type of character.

Comment
byu/moralconsideration from discussion
inScreenwriting

Advertisement

It would not be surprising if a lack of fulfillment in acting pushed him to start writing his own characters, movies, and television shows.

Avatar

Written by Ananya Godboley

Articles Published: 1421

A poet and art enthusiast, Ananya Godboley is a striving academic who is pursuing a career in Criminal Psychology, currently doing an undergrad degree in Psychology. Passionate about History, Philosophy and Literature, she loves to learn about new and interesting subjects. A writer for FandomWire with over 1000 published articles, she adores all things superhero and Taylor Swift.