‘Yellowstone’ Creator Taylor Sheridan Shares Insane Work Schedule

Taylor Sheridan is best known as the man behind the mega-successful Yellowstone franchise, but he's also working on a number of others shows — often simultaneously. In a recent interview, Sheridan reveals the extremely punishing schedule he keeps in order to keep cranking out the hits.

In addition to writing and directing Yellowstone, Sheridan also created, wrote and directed both of its successful prequels, 1883 and 1923. He's also the main force behind a string of non-Yellowstone-related hits, including Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, Lawmen: Bass Reeves and Special Opps: Lioness.

Sheridan also has a number of projects in the works, including 1944, 2024 and 6666 — all of which are related to Yellowstone — as well as Landman and an adaptation of Empire of the Summer Moon.

During an appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast, Sheridan admits the workload is extremely challenging, since he does not usually use a writers room and chooses to exercise as much control over his projects as possible.

"When I go direct, if I go on a six-month — which I’m about to — a six-month, seven-month run of directing every single day, where I have to make decisions from 6AM to 9 o’clock at night, then I gotta watch footage until midnight, I get three or four hours of sleep for six months. I’m a fu--ing wreck after six months," he stated in January of 2024 (quote via CinemaBlend).

Sheridan further explained that he wrote Season 3 of Yellowstone at the same time he was directing Angelina Jolie in a movie titled Those Who Wish Me Dead, which was particularly challenging.

"Yeah, I was directing a movie with Angelina Jolie in New Mexico. And [Paramount Network] had a start date [for Season 3 of Yellowstone], that by god they were going to start," he recalls. "It didn’t matter that they didn’t have scripts, they were going to start. And I had to, you know, we would do a night shoot Friday night and finish about 7:00 in the morning. Then I would come home, and sleep until 2:00.

"Then I’d wake up, have coffee and write the script Saturday until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning," he adds. "Then, wake up Sunday, do it again. Finish the script, send it off. I did it ten weeks in a row. It fu--ing killed me."

Sheridan estimates his average workday runs 14-16 hours when he's working on a show.

Yellowstone is set to begin filming the second half of Season 5 in the spring. Those episodes will begin airing in November, and they will bring the hit show to a close, with a proposed sequel to air after that. No details are yet available about the sequel, though Matthew McConaughey has been rumored to star.