Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan leaves Paramount for massive new film and TV deal

Taylor Sheridan, the man behind the hit series Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, and more, is reportedly leaving Paramount

and jumping over to NBCUniversal. According to Deadline, Sheridan’s move to NBCUniversal kicks off next year with a five-year film deal.

His television deal with Paramount isn’t up until 2028, but it’s expected that he will bring that over to NBCUniversal when it ends.

 

Alias Taylor Sheridan - by michaelcorcoran

 

Sheridan’s producing partner, David Glasser, and his 101 Studios have also signed a first-look film and TV deal with NBCUniversal that will take effect in early 2026, after his company fulfils its contractual obligations to Paramount. In 2017, Sheridan co-created Yellowstone with John Lison; the…

 

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Paramount’s most prolific creator, Yellowstone showrunner Taylor Sheridan, is set to leave the network for a massive new deal at NBCUniversal, according to multiple reports.

Sheridan’s Western drama about the Dutton ranching family first aired on Paramount in 2018 and went on to have five wildly successful seasons and multiple spin-offs, including Landman and Lioness.

 

 

 

However, Puck reports that relations began to sour when David Ellison (son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison) bought the company in August for $8 billion.

Citing sources, Puck claims incoming streaming chief Cindy Holland questioned some of Sheridan’s huge production budgets. (The Wall Street Journal reported in 2023 that Paramount was spending more than $500 million a year on the production of Sheridan’s shows, including $200 million alone for the first season of 1923, starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren.)

 

 

 

At the same time, many of the executives with whom Sheridan had worked for years were fired or exited the company after the acquisition.

Now, Sheridan has closed a five-year overall deal for film, TV and streaming, with Paramount rival NBCUniversal, which will begin January 1, 2029, after Sheridan’s pact with Paramount ends.

David Glasser’s 101 Studios, the production studio for Sheridan’s full slate of shows, will also move over to Universal, Puck reports.

The Independent has contacted representatives for Sheridan and Paramount for comment.

It comes after Ellison claimed in August to have “a really good relationship” with Sheridan, calling him “a singular genius and content creator.”

“My goal is to have Taylor call Paramount his home for as long as he wants to be telling stories,” the mogul told CNBC.