Taylor Sheridan reveals ‘Yellowstone’ was supposed to be his last show and what changed his mind
Taylor Sheridan was ready to walk away from Hollywood after ‘Yellowstone.’ He had already bought a ranch in Weatherford, Texas, paid for it in cash, and planned to spend his time showing horses and tending to his small herd. At that point, Sheridan expected his time in Hollywood to be over. Then the Four Sixes Ranch changed everything. Sheridan had first become familiar with the historic Texas property while filming ‘Yellowstone.’
The ranch later featured prominently in Season 4, when Jimmy (Jefferson White) was sent to Texas to become a better cowboy. But Sheridan’s connection to the property eventually moved beyond the screen. After Marion died in 2020, Sheridan learned that the ranch would be broken up and sold off.
However, Marion had asked that someone be found who would maintain her vision for the ranch. Sheridan was eventually identified as the person who could maintain that vision. The opportunity came with a price tag of $330 million. Sheridan recalled telling them he was about $300 million short of the asking price. Instead, he led an investment group that acquired the Four Sixes Ranch, with the sale closing in 2022. But taking on such a massive investment also meant changing his retirement plans.
Sheridan realized that buying the ranch would require him to keep working for much longer than expected. That financial responsibility led him to reconsider his future in Hollywood. At the time, Paramount had been trying to convince Sheridan to sign an exclusive overall deal. He had resisted because he was considering leaving Paramount and pursuing other opportunities. The Four Sixes purchase gave him a reason to negotiate with the studio instead.
Since signing the deal with Paramount, Sheridan has created projects including ‘Mayor of Kingstown’, ‘1883’, ‘1923’, ‘Tulsa King’, ‘Lioness’ and ‘Landman’. The real-life ranch, however, did not become the basis for the long-rumored ‘6666’ series. Paramount announced the ‘Yellowstone’ spinoff in 2022, and the project underwent development changes before ultimately not moving forward.
Sheridan has since clarified that he never intended to make a television series specifically about the Four Sixes Ranch. Instead, its biggest impact came behind the scenes. Sheridan had planned for ‘Yellowstone’ to be the end of his time in Hollywood. But buying the Four Sixes Ranch gave him a reason to stay, turning a planned retirement into the beginning of a much larger chapter.
