Taylor Sheridan Says He Rage-Baits Critics, Defends 10-Episode Payoffs
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 30
Taylor Sheridan Says He Rage-Baits Critics, Defends 10-Episode Payoffs
3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 30
Summary
Sheridan said on Bill Simmons’ podcast that he deliberately withholds key turns from early screeners to provoke critics, citing Demi Moore’s limited first 7 episodes of Landman before her season-2 power shift.
He said that misdirection is part of his storytelling method, arguing audiences and characters both needed to underestimate Moore’s character before her first-episode season-2 monologue reversed that view.
A second example involved Landman’s episode 10 resolution between Ainsley and Paigyn, which Sheridan said he refused to move up despite network and cast pressure because he wanted viewers to feel the delay.
Sheridan also said Paramount eventually dismantled a large development department after 4 years because he ignored executives’ notes, reflecting his insistence that TV production is not a committee process.
The remarks extend Sheridan’s broader attack on Hollywood management as he prepares to leave Paramount for an NBCUniversal film and TV deal worth as much as $1 billion starting in 2029.