The hit Western drama Yellowstone isn’t scheduled to be back on our screens until this fall, but that doesn’t mean there’s been any shortage of drama to keep fans occupied. The latest news grabbing headlines across the internet comes courtesy of series creator and writer Taylor Sheridan, who recently appeared on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience to discuss his work.
Among the opinions Sheridan shared on the episode, he revealed his thoughts about why the show has had a generally lackluster critical reception despite having huge audience success. “It’s not surprising that critics hate it because it’s designed for them to hate,” Sheridan said.
He added, “It has no plot, really,” explaining “In that, I have a lot of opportunities to poke fun, but also kind of point out different points of views, and kind of really study a way of life and a world. There’s a lot of defiance in the way I do it.” Sheridan also revealed that he feels that the series’s multiple prequels—1883 and 1923, which is set to return for a second season, as well as an in-the-works show with the working title 1944—differ from the flagship show in that they are more driven by a concrete plot.
While Yellowstone—which last aired a new episode on January 1, 2023—is set to return for its series finale in November 2024, the behind-the-scenes world of the Dutton universe has garnered plenty of attention of its own in the past year.
Not long after the show entered its mid-season hiatus, rumors began to circulate that Kevin Costner, who plays family patriarch John Dutton on the series, could be on the way out, and the star later confirmed that he would be exiting the series, evidently due to friction over scheduling and his salary. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that the show itself would come to a close after the final episodes of season 5, with a new spin-off in the works. That spin-off, tentatively titled 2024, appears to be the long-gestating Matthew McConaughey vehicle, however, in recent weeks, new rumors have suggested that the Texan actor may be considering dropping out of the project over a protracted negotiations process.
Along with all of that, Sheridan himself was recently in the news when his ranch filed suit against a coffee company co-owned by Yellowstone star Cole Hauser, proving that even without a scripted show on the air, the world of Yellowstone is still packed with drama.