How Cormac McCarthy Felt About Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone

Cormac McCarthy penned some pretty great books, and a couple of his more famous tales are Westerns. From "Blood Meridian" to "No Country for Old Men," the author's depiction of the Wild West is violent, ruthless, and nihilistic — and they have a fan in the form of Taylor Sheridan. Knowing that Sheridan's "Yellowstone" franchise is also full of bleak cowboy carnage, it's unsurprising to learn that he is a fan of McCarthy's work, but was his appreciation for the late author's work reciprocated?

In an interview with Gold Derby, Sheridan discussed his love for McCarthy's storytelling and how it's influenced his own style. What's more, he revealed what he heard about the "Blood Meridian" writer's views on his hit franchise. As he tells it:

"Turns out he was a huge fan of 'Yellowstone.' He never missed an episode. And you know 'Yellowstone' is a punk rock, rebellious teenager, both middle fingers at TV and at Hollywood, and at a bunch of different things. I was relieved that he also liked the things that I actually tried to make good like '1923' and '1883.' Not that I wasn't trying to make 'Yellowstone' be an entertaining show, but it breaks so many storytelling rules. And it was part pandering, part horse porn at sunset, and then part 'Benny Hill.'"

That's Sheridan's way of saying that "Yellowstone" is wild and ridiculous, but that's why we fans love it at the end of the day, right? However, it appears that McCarthy's own rebellious style inspired Sheridan's storytelling, as the author wasn't exactly conventional.

It's easy to criticize "Yellowstone" for its plot holes and tendency to forget about storylines, but Taylor Sheridan deserves credit for marching to the beat of his own drum. The prolific creator is known for writing all of his own scripts in a rural setting — then sending them directly to cast members without consulting his network bosses. There are no rules when it comes to his shows either, as some episodes are feature-length while others clock in at 40 minutes. More than anything, he seems to have complete creative control over his work, as did the aforementioned author he admires.

Cormac McCarthy ignored the rules and structure of "traditional" writing. His books are notable for their lack of punctuation — no quotation marks or semicolons, but the occasional comma and capitalized letter were allowed — as the author felt it got in the way of the storytelling. Most publishers would balk at receiving submissions like this, but McCarthy's sales and talent probably gave him more leeway, similar to Sheridan having free rein over the "Yellowstone" franchise, as he made it successful without compromising his style.

All things considered, it's easy to see why McCarthy enjoyed "Yellowstone." Not only does it play in a genre he was fond of, but the series isn't beholden to trends or making life easy for the audience. But that's what makes it interesting, and the franchise's success speaks for itself. Outlaws gravitate toward other outlaws, and Sheridan and McCarthy are bedfellows in that regard.