5 Reasons Why 2025 Was A Huge Year For Yellowstone Creator Taylor Sheridan

Taylor Sheridan was never going to have a terrible 2025. He's filthy rich and always has a revolving wheel of shows on the air, so his career wasn't hurting. That said, 2024 saw the prolific creator get criticized because of the poor reception to "Yellowstone" season 5, with Sheridan's Travis Wheatley character accused of ruining the series thanks to his strip poker antics. What's more, some of his projects have been stuck in development hell for a minute now, but we can probably blame that on Sheridan having a full plate.

Fast forward to the end of 2025, and it's safe to say it's been a huge year for the "Yellowstone" creator. Not only have his ongoing projects continued to be successful, but some blasts from the past have found a new lease of life thanks to streaming. Meanwhile, Sheridan's future looks set to be very prosperous, as he has signed a huge deal that will keep him busy for years to come. This is a good time for Sheridan to be alive, so without further ado, let's tip our cowboy hats to his accomplishments.

Despite having a bunch of upcoming "Yellowstone" spin-offs in the works at Paramount, Taylor Sheridan will move to NBCUniversal in 2029 after he is free of his other commitments. According to various reports, Sheridan's agreement with NBCUniversal is an exclusive agreement expected to last five years, and he could bank $1 billion for his services.

Sheridan will be treated like a superstar at his new home, but the move reportedly has some baggage associated with it. Essentially, the decision to leave Paramount stems from Sheridan being unhappy with the company's new ownership following the merger with Skydance. The executives he enjoyed working with are no longer his main point of contact — and the new guys seemingly aren't as supportive of his endeavors as the old guard were. Sheridan's old bosses gave him unrestricted creative freedom and funded the construction of his television empire, and that's no longer the set-up.

Be that as it may, this is a prime example of one door closing and another opening. Even if Sheridan's Paramount departure stems from some negative feelings, joining NBCUniversal is a great move for his creative goals and bank balance.

Taylor Sheridan's time at Paramount is due to sunset in the next few years, but the studio will continue to maximize his skills while he is still on the books. In fact, Sheridan and Peter Berg have been tapped to develop a live-action "Call of Duty" movie, based on the immensely popular militaristic shooter games of the same name.

While Berg will direct the flick, "Call of Duty" should appeal to Sheridan's sensibilities as a writer. Like the "Yellowstone" franchise (which spans from 1883 to the present day), the "Call of Duty" games cover various periods in history. Sheridan's ability to craft compelling period pieces and contemporary tales of carnage makes him the perfect fit for a movie that could cover any war from any time period.

What's more, Sheridan has already written his fair share of militaristic entertainment. "Lioness" is a story about CIA operatives taking on terrorists, while "Sicario" is a morally grey examination of the U.S.' War on Drugs. Even the "Yellowstone" saga's cowboys like Shea Brennan (Sam Elliot), Kayce Dutton, (Luke Grimes), and Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) are trained soldiers, with their backgrounds informing their arcs. A more traditional war film like "Call of Duty" is the next natural step for Sheridan — assuming that he and Berg don't embrace the games' loopy supernatural elements.

If 2025 taught us anything, it's that Taylor Sheridan is hotter than Hansel right now, and the future should be pretty sweet. However, that doesn't mean his fans have stopped celebrating his past accomplishments. "Sicario" became a hit on Netflix in various regions around the world back in October — 10 years after its original release.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve from a script by Sheridan, "Sicario" tells the story of an FBI agent (played by Emily Blunt) who gets recruited to take down the Cartel. She goes into the job with an idealistic set of morals, only to discover that the divide between good and evil isn't as clear-cut as she once thought it was. The film is a masterclass in morally grey storytelling and arguably the best story with Sheridan's name on it thus far.

"Sicario" was a modest commercial hit upon release, and the crime drama went on to gain a bunch of Oscar nominations. No one ever doubted its bona fides, but the film's streaming success undoubtedly expanded its audience — and potentially led to Sheridan and Villeneuve gaining some new fans in the process.

Taylor Sheridan is one of the most prolific people working in television, so it's unsurprising that his shows dominated the airwaves in 2025. This year saw the releases of "1923" season 2, "Tulsa King" season 3, "Mayor of Kingstown" season 4, and "Landman" season 2 — and let's just say Paramount might regret losing Sheridan when he rides into the sunset toward the saloons at NBCUniversal.

Sheridan's shows continue to perform well, and the numbers prove it. The "1923" season 2 finale gained 14 million viewers across the globe. Meanwhile, the second installment of the Billy Bob Thornton oil drama "Landman" broke streaming records on Paramount+ and stormed the charts on Amazon Prime Video, with the premiere gaining over nine million viewers in the span of two days. "Mayor of Kingstown" season 4 is also a global hit that soars high on Paramount+, despite the Jeremy Renner-led crime drama being Sheridan's least acclaimed series to date.

Finally, "Tulsa King" consistently dominated the charts on Paramount+, and its success means that we will see more tales of gangsters and guns set in this universe (more on that later). With that in mind, what can viewers expect from Sheridan in the coming months?

Rumor has it that Taylor Sheridan's decision to cut ties with Paramount stems from him feeling a lack of support from the company's new regime. Even if that's true, the studio seems more than happy to financially back his projects. So, what can viewers look forward to before he skedaddles?

First up, the "Yellowstone" franchise is still going strong. At the time of this writing, the spin-offs "The Dutton Ranch," "The Madison," and "Y: Marshals" are expected to come out sometime in 2026. Sadly, however, the future of the "1944" and "6666" spin-offs remains unclear, as they haven't seen any movement in a while. Now, with Sheridan's move to NBCUniversal now as inevitable as Thanos, it's unknown if "1944" and "6666" will ever come to fruition.

Still, let's look at the bright side. "Landman," "Lioness," and "Tulsa King" have been renewed for more seasons. Elsewhere, the Samuel L. Jackson-led "NOLA King" is currently in the works, and who knows? Maybe that will open the door to more "Tulsa King" offshoots set in different cities. Plus, it's highly likely that "Mayor of Kingstown" will be officially renewed for a fifth installment soon, as Jeremy Renner has confirmed that it will be the series' swansong. 

To summarize, Sheridan has had three shows renewed in 2025. Add three more "Yellowstone" series and "NOLA King" on top, and that's seven projects in active development. If "Mayor of Kingstown" season 5 goes ahead as expected, that's another one. Some creators struggle to keep a single series on the air, so Sheridan's hard work deserves some respect, regardless of whether one is a fan or a hater.