Taylor Sheridan says he isn’t trying to win Emmys, takes aim at studio executives who steer storytelling, and admits he sometimes “rages bait[s]” critics—ending with a blunt “F–k ‘em, honestly.”
Taylor Sheridan’s stance on Hollywood awards and outside criticism is about as direct as his dialogue.
On the Sunday (June 28) episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast. the 56-year-old showrunner—known for Yellowstone and for his newer hits Landman and The Madison—made it clear that Emmys aren’t part of his job description. Even though both Landman and The Madison are on the Emmys ballot this year. Sheridan said he’s “not trying to win Emmys.”.
“You’re not going to win no Emmys with me, but I’m not trying to win Emmys,” he said. “That’s not my goal. My goal is to sit somebody on their couch and move them. make them think. make them laugh. scare the s–t out of them. excite them. That’s what I want to do, because that’s what I want from a show.”.
He traced that mindset back to when he started writing. saying his first aim was “simply not do what everyone else was doing.” In his telling. many other shows leaned on shortcuts—“breaking all the very basic fundamental rules of storytelling”—because. he argued. they couldn’t figure out their story.
Sheridan also zeroed in on the people he believes lack the storytelling chops to guide creative work. He said studio execs know “nothing” about developing story and warned that they’re now the ones shaping production decisions. “So they get terrified, panicked that the audience won’t get it because they actually have no storytellers,” he said.
When Sheridan described how his overall deal with Paramount works, the theme stayed consistent: control, clarity, and deliverables. He told the podcast host, “This is not a democracy. There’s no committee. You’re going to pay me. and you’re going to give me a bunch of money. and I’m going to deliver you these shows.”.
Then he turned his comments toward critics—specifically how he expects them to respond to Landman. Sheridan said he knew critics wouldn’t like the fact that Demi Moore had a relatively small role in Landman’s debut season. He pointed to the criticism he expects to hear: that he’s “underutilizing [Moore]. ” that he “can’t write for women. ” and more. His response was cold and sharp.
“The critics are going to come after me. I’m underutilizing [Moore], can’t write for women, all this nonsense. Then I’m going to kill your husband and you’re going to have to run the oil company. ” he continued. “The critics and me… I don’t care what they think. and it annoys the shit out of them that I don’t care.”.
Sheridan didn’t pretend he’s a reluctant provocateur, either. He said he’s aware of how he might push buttons for effect. “I’ll be the first to tell you that there are things that I do that rage bait them a bit, and this is one of them,” he said. “F–k ‘em, honestly.”
In Hollywood. that kind of shrug toward awards season and review culture isn’t common—especially when your shows are competing on the same ballot for major trophies. But for Sheridan. the goal has remained the same: not to chase approval. but to keep people watching. reacting. and—if he gets what he wants—feeling everything the story is meant to deliver.
Taylor Sheridan Yellowstone Landman The Madison Emmys Demi Moore critics Bill Simmons Podcast Paramount