Iconic writer and creator Taylor Sheridan wrote an episode of Yellowstone without any violence and that episode became one of the highest-rated!

Majorly delving into the contemporary western genre, Taylor Sheridan is a highly rated writer and creator of movies who deserves all the fame that comes his way in Hollywood.

Being 55 years of age, Sheridan is the writer/creator of some of the most iconic movies and shows like Wind River, Sicario, Yellowstone, Landman, and more. However, his true genius can be proved with a single episode from the Kevin Costner show, Yellowstone, and how, even without a dramatic gun fight sequence, the show received great ratings.

Taylor Sheridan proved his worth with this Yellowstone episode

Debuting in 2018, Yellowstone was a violent show filled with cowboy ranchers and the government trying to encroach on their land. Complications arise when the Dutton family fights amongst themselves due to internal conflicts, while the hounds gather around them.

The Dutton family in Yellowstone. | Credits: Linson Entertainment

Well, Yellowstone is considered a pretty intense and violent show since every episode features gunfights and all the Western things that you can think of. Amidst all of the chaos and the guns, Taylor Sheridan decided to do something a little differently.

In season 3, Sheridan wrote an episode titled All for Nothing (which was the sixth episode of that season). All for Nothing is a little quieter on the violent side of things, but what it lacks in gunfight, it makes up for with the incredible dialogue and an intriguing storyline.

From Monica, educating the indigenous people while also struggling with her own conflicts, to Beth unraveling her own trauma through similar events, it becomes a rare sight to see the bull-headed Beth have some sort of vulnerability in her persona.

The episode also showcases Jamie Dutton talking with his biological father, who begins to poison his ears, leading to the eventual betrayal. The quiet episode proves that you don’t have to gauge audiences’ attention with guns and violence; sometimes it can be done in the quietness of a room with only the whisper of two characters.

Taylor Sheridan literally saved Yellowstone from collapsing!

Taylor Sheridan wrote the first season of Yellowstone. When the room full of writers couldn’t do it, Sheridan forced himself to finish the script of season 2 so that the show could run on schedule. But after a point, the writer decided to take a short break.

Taylor Sheridan in a still from Sons of Anarchy | FX Productions

When Yellowstone was close to closing down for good during season 3, Taylor Sheridan had taken a brief pause from the project since it was taking too much of his time.

However, when it all went kaput, Sheridan admitted (via Gold Derby) that his phone rang and the team behind Yellowstone wanted him back just to get through this season until they could find resources.
I found myself in a situation where I was writing scripts on the weekend to shoot the next week. We tried to put a room together, and there was no time to put a room together. So then I wrote all of Season 2.
He continued,
They did try to hire a room for Season 3, and the scripts were so bad that they called me back while I was directing this movie in New Mexico with Angie [Jolie], and they said, “You’ve got to help us out. The actors won’t go to work. They’re mutinying.” And so I wrote an episode of Yellowstone every Saturday.
And that is how season 3 of Yellowstone was finished, with Sheridan working every Saturday to write an episode. The man literally carried the show to stardom while going through his personal struggles and making his Hollywood career.

In the end, it all became worth it since Sheridan found worldwide fame and acclaim for his role as a writer for an iconic show, which currently stands at a rating of 8.6/10 on IMDb and a whopping 83% on Rotten Tomatoes.