Taylor Sheridan recently stated that he considers his goals bigger than an Emmy Award. On June 28, during a podcast episode with Bill Simmons, the 56-year-old American writer and director shared his thoughts on critics and studio executives as he discussed building his television empire.
Sheridan told Simmons that he creates shows to tug at audiences’ heartstrings rather than win awards. He said, “You’re not going to win no Emmys with me, but I’m not trying to win Emmys. 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*** out of them, excite them. That’s what I want to do, because that’s what I want from a show.”
The Landman creator added, “I knew when I started writing [I wanted] to simply not do what everyone else was doing.” He claimed that “what everyone else was doing” involved taking shortcuts and essentially breaking all the very basic fundamental rules of storytelling.
He went on to say that studio executives of today’s age know nothing about storytelling because those who hated their previous jobs have joined the entertainment industry and found themselves the heads of development. Sheridan stated, “Well, what do you know about developing story? You know nothing. So, they get terrified, panicked that the audience won’t get it because they actually have no storytellers.”
“I’m pretty common, and I’m going to tell stories that common people are going to understand,” he said, referring to most of America. It is pertinent to note that Taylor Sheridan has created hit shows such as the Yellowstone franchise, 1923, Wind River, Tulsa King, Lioness, and others.