Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Yellowstone’ hit with lawsuit that could threaten the franchise
'Yellowstone' franchise is one of the biggest success stories of recent years. It started in 2018 when the American neo-Western drama made its way to Paramount+. According to The Hollywood Reporter, its final season premiered to 12.1 million live-plus-same-day viewers, becoming the top scripted series premiere of 2022. The success gave Paramount a blockbuster franchise with shows like 'Dutton Ranch,' '1883, and '1923.' CBS also joined the party by airing 'Marshals' and received record-breaking ratings. The empire, built on Taylor Sheridan's creative genius, is now in danger of falling apart.
TV writer and entertainment journalist Lauren J. Salkin has recently filed a copyright lawsuit against Sheridan, NBCUniversal and Paramount, according to TMZ. The documents acquired by the outlet suggest Salkin is suing them over 'Yellowstone', as she claims that between 2016 and 2017, she submitted a pilot script titled 'Sovereign Nation' to Sheridan's production company. There was also a lot of supporting material accompanying the pilot script. These documents included a breakdown of each character featured in the script.
Later, she received a message from Elevate Entertainment, a Hollywood talent and literary management firm that previously represented Sheridan, stating: "Taylor thanks you very much for your interest. Unfortunately, he's unavailable for TV projects". After some months, 'Yellowstone' was greenlit and later premiered in 2018. Salkin claims that 'Sovereign Nation' and 'Yellowstone' share several similarities that are hard to ignore. She cites resemblances between characters, tone, and storylines of both scripts.
Sheridan has previously talked about his inspiration for 'Yellowstone' and has never mentioned 'Sovereign Nation' in any of his statements. In a July interview with Joe Blow, the creator claimed that the show was inspired by the book titled 'Lonesome Drive' and the miniseries. The book's plot follows some Texas rangers who drive a cattle herd from Texas to Montana. Sheridan shared in another interview that the show also takes inspiration from real-life issues. The creator claimed that it presents a picture of current American rural deterioration. "These issues of land development, resource mismanagement, oppression, and extreme poverty and inequity in government — they exist here. [...] But when it happens in a small area, in a rural area [...] and because there's fewer people, the consequences seem much more acute. When you start seeing Costcos in a landscape of farms and ranches, it's much more dramatic than if they jam one in the San Fernando Valley," he explained to the Los Angeles Times.
The lawsuit requests that authorities issue an injunction that prevents the show from committing any ongoing or future copyright infringement. This implies that Salkin wants the network to stop streaming, airing, or creating 'Yellowstone' and related shows. If the injunction goes through, that will spell trouble for both Paramount and CBS, both of whom have a 'Yellowstone'-related show as their top-performing asset. Salkin is also asking for damages, including profits from the hit franchise. Sheridan, Paramount, and NBCUniversal have yet to respond to the allegations. All episodes of the 'Yellowstone' franchise are currently streaming on Paramount+.
