Taylor Sheridan is the undisputed king of television.
The actor-turned-showrunner is responsible for “Yellowstone” and its two prequel shows, “1883” and “1923.” He also helped create Sylvester Stallone’s “Tulsa King,” “Mayor of Kingstown,” “Special Ops: Lioness” and “Lawmen: Bass Reeves.”
And there’s more on the way. Perhaps.
Matthew McConaughey ‘wants to make the deal’ to star in ‘Yellowstone,’ but considers walking away amid delays, a source exclusively tells Life & Style. https://t.co/wQcCXPKhmD
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He built his empire via ratings, pure and simple. “Yellowstone” remains his crown jewel, a series that draws numbers most TV networks would kill to have.
And, along the way, he’s inspired more than his fair share of critical resentment. The Emmys have ignored “Yellowstone” over its remarkable run, granting the show just one nomination to date (Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour Or More in 2021).
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His projects draw mixed reviews – some good, some bad – but they also inspire “think pieces” worrying over his populist touch.
Sheridan has noticed, and he aired his grievances this week on “The Joe Rogan Experience.” The podcaster and Sheridan lashed out repeatedly at woke culture, with the comic host letting his guest tee off on his critics.
“There’s a lot of defiance in the way that I do it. It’s not surprising that critics hate [‘Yellowstone’] … They’re confounded by its success. They can’t get their minds around why it’s a success,” Sheridan said, referencing New York Times pieces puzzling over its broad reach.
“Critics are less relevant today than in any time in human history … they’re off so much more than they’re on,” Rogan said.
“I agree,” Sheridan added.
“And most people don’t buy into it at all,” Rogan said, noting the critical split on “Dave Chappelle: The Closer” as a prime example.
“That’s all you need to know. Who the f*** are you? Who are these people that are critics?” Rogan asked.
Sheridan brought up “Mayor of Kingstown” the Jeremy Renner series about a decaying city. That, too, showed a massive critic/audience split.
Critical splits for some of Sheridan’s other shows are far less severe, although the more his work is associated with the Right, the less favorable coverage he earns.
“I just don’t understand why [critics are] still employed. What is the purpose that they serve other than speaking to other completely disconnected, supposedly highbrow people who live in congested urban areas?” Rogan asked.
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Sheridan got to the heart of the matter next, assessing how woke ideology has captured much of the critical community.
“They seem to feel a need to judge any project [by] how is it looking at the lens through today’s new ‘question morality.’ ‘What should we be making movies about?’” Sheridan said. “And you can make a s*****y movie about something they support, and they’ll gonna support that movie.
Critic Richard Roeper made that point in 2016 when he suggested his fellow critics graded the empowering “Ghostbusters” reboot “on a curve.”
Sheridan rejects that way of thinking.
“My job as a storyteller is to pick a world and look through the window and not judge it. And go, ‘hey, here’s what it was. And here’s the decision some people made,’” he said. “To me, the Holy Grail as a storyteller is entertain, educate and enlighten. Don’t give anybody answers. Just lots of questions to think about. That’s my job. I can’t stand to pay money and have somebody preach to me their ideas.”
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