It’s Official, Taylor Sheridan Has Won Streaming
Fewer names are bigger in television right now than Taylor Sheridan, and the creator of the Yellowstone empire has asserted his streaming dominance even further this week. Sheridan's path to success has been an unconventional one, to say the least, as he began his Hollywood career as an actor. However, when Sheridan left Sons of Anarchy after a salary dispute, he decided to put his focus behind the camera and start writing.
Sicario (2015), Hell or High Water (2016), and Wind River (2017), known as Sheridan's "American Frontier Trilogy", were all highly regarded. Sheridan even earned his first Oscar nomination for the Hell or High Water screenplay. In 2018, Sheridan turned his fascination with moral ambiguity and violence in the American West to the small screen, and with John Linson, created one of the best neo-Western TV series ever made: Yellowstone.
A series with the cinematic grandiosity of a prestige drama that still appealed to the average American, Yellowstone was an instant hit. It spawned two prequel series, 1883 and 1923, and two spinoffs, Marshals and Dutton Ranch, with even more in development.
The Sheridan-verse · Ranch Assessment
Taylor Sheridan
Trivia Challenge
🏠 Yellowstone Protect the ranch
🐴 1883 The Oregon Trail
🌾 1923 Drought & dust
🔒 Kingstown Prison politics
🎼 Tulsa King Made man, new town
01
The Dutton family has controlled the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States for over a century. In which state is the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch located?
✓ Correct! The Yellowstone Dutton Ranch sits near the border of Yellowstone National Park in Montana. The show is filmed primarily in Montana, with the real-life Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby serving as the Dutton homestead.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Montana. The Dutton Ranch borders Yellowstone National Park in Big Sky Country. While the rugged landscape could pass for Wyoming or Idaho, the show is set — and largely filmed — in Montana.
02
John Dutton is the iron-willed patriarch who will stop at nothing to protect his family’s land. Which Oscar-winning actor portrayed him for the first four seasons of Yellowstone?
✓ Correct! Kevin Costner brought gravitas and quiet intensity to John Dutton, anchoring Yellowstone as one of the most-watched shows on cable television. His departure ahead of Season 5B became one of the biggest stories in TV.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Kevin Costner. While Sam Elliott did appear in 1883, Josh Brolin has his own Sheridan series (Outer Range isn’t Sheridan’s), and Kurt Russell hasn’t joined the Sheridan-verse. Costner defined John Dutton.
03
In the prequel series 1883, a Civil War veteran leads his family on a brutal wagon-train journey from Texas to Montana to find a new home. What is the name of this original Dutton patriarch?
✓ Correct! James Dutton, played by Tim McGraw, is the Civil War veteran who leads his wife Margaret and their children on the perilous journey west. His daughter Elsa narrates the series, and the family’s arrival in Montana establishes the Yellowstone Ranch.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is James Dutton. Jacob Dutton is the character Harrison Ford plays in 1923 — James’s brother. John Dutton Sr. doesn’t appear until later generations, and Emmett Dutton doesn’t exist in the Sheridan-verse.
04
On the Dutton Ranch, certain cowboys receive a permanent mark of loyalty — a hot-iron brand seared into their skin that signifies a blood oath to the ranch. What symbol is this feared brand?
✓ Correct! The branded “Y” is the Yellowstone Ranch’s livestock mark, but for ranch hands, wearing it on their chest means a lifelong oath of silence and loyalty. “Taking someone to the train station” is what happens to those who betray it.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is the letter “Y” — for Yellowstone. The brand is both a ranch identifier and a mark of absolute loyalty. Characters like Rip, Kayce, and Jimmy all bear the “Y” brand, signifying they’ve sworn their lives to the ranch.
05
In 1923, the Dutton family battles drought, Prohibition, and encroaching modernity during the Great Depression era. Which legendary Hollywood actor plays patriarch Jacob Dutton?
✓ Correct! Harrison Ford stars as Jacob Dutton alongside Helen Mirren as his wife Cara. Ford’s casting marked his first major television role and brought massive star power to the expanding Sheridan-verse. The series is set during Prohibition and the early Depression.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Harrison Ford. In his first major TV role, Ford plays Jacob Dutton, brother of James Dutton from 1883. Helen Mirren stars opposite him as Cara Dutton. Their star power helped make 1923 Paramount+’s biggest premiere.
06
Beth Dutton’s volatile love story with a tough ranch foreman is one of Yellowstone’s most beloved storylines. The two eventually marry in a surprise ceremony. Who is Beth’s husband?
✓ Correct! Rip Wheeler, played by Cole Hauser, is John Dutton’s most loyal enforcer and Beth’s husband. Taken in by John as a teenager after a traumatic past, Rip would do anything for the Dutton family — and his fierce devotion to Beth became a fan-favorite romance.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Rip Wheeler. Lloyd Pierce is the bunkhouse elder, Walker is a ranch hand and musician, and Jimmy Hurdstrom is the hapless cowboy who eventually gets sent to the 6666 Ranch in Texas. Only Rip won Beth’s wild heart.
07
In Mayor of Kingstown, a family serves as power brokers in a Michigan town where the prison industry is the only business. Which family navigates this dark world of incarceration and corruption?
✓ Correct! The McLusky family, led by Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner), acts as unofficial mediators between prisoners, gangs, police, and politicians in Kingstown, Michigan. The show is one of Sheridan’s grittiest explorations of the American justice system.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is the McLusky family. Jeremy Renner stars as Mike McLusky, who inherits the role of “mayor” — an unofficial power broker between inmates, gangs, and law enforcement. The Duttons are Yellowstone’s dynasty, not Kingstown’s.
08
One Dutton sibling is an adopted son and ambitious lawyer who frequently clashes with his family — sometimes even conspiring against them. His complex loyalty drives much of the show’s drama. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Jamie Dutton, played by Wes Bentley, is the adopted son and Harvard-educated lawyer whose desperate need for his father’s approval and political ambition create some of Yellowstone’s most dramatic betrayals. His rivalry with Beth is legendary.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Jamie Dutton. Kayce is John’s biological youngest son (a former Navy SEAL), Lee is the eldest son who dies in Season 1, and Tate is Kayce’s young son. Only Jamie is the adopted lawyer who conspires against the family.
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Are you a ranch foreman — or headed straight to the train station?
Outside of the Dutton family saga, Sheridan also created myriad other hit series, including Mayor Kingstown, Tulsa King, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Lioness, Landman, and The Madison. Though none of these series are currently airing new episodes right now, they're still some of the most-watched shows on streaming.
5 Taylor Sheridan Shows Are On Paramount+’s Top 10 Most-Watched List
Paramount+ is home to most of Sheridan's TV shows, and according to FlixPatrol, they currently make up half of Paramount+'s global top 10 most-watched series. The series are: Yellowstone (No. 1), Dutton Ranch (No. 2), Tulsa King (No. 4), Marshals (No. 7), and Landman (No. 10).
It's a testament to Tulsa King and Landman's popularity that they rank so highly, as both of their most recent seasons ended several months ago, in late 2025 and early 2026, respectively. Though Tulsa King season 4 and Landman season 3 have both been greenlit, no release dates have been announced.
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Paramount+'s Global Top 10 Most-Watched List (July 22, 2026) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
# |
Title |
Taylor Sheridan series? |
|
1. |
Yellowstone |
Yes |
|
2. |
Dutton Ranch |
Yes |
|
3. |
South Park |
No |
|
4. |
Tulsa King |
Yes |
|
5. |
Criminal Minds |
No |
|
6. |
The Agency |
No |
|
7. |
Marshals |
Yes |
|
8. |
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch |
No |
|
9. |
From |
No |
|
10. |
Landman |
Yes |
Dutton Ranch and Marshals' rankings are hardly a surprise, as they're the two most recent Yellowstone spinoffs, both debuting this year. Dutton Ranch season 1 ended on July 3, so some viewers are likely still catching up with it, while Marshals season 1, despite negative reviews, was the most-watched network show of the 2025-26 season. It makes sense that it would continue to perform highly on streaming.
However, Yellowstone claiming the No. 1 spot is most impressive of all. Firstly, Yellowstone's universally maligned series finale aired almost two years ago, and in the crowded streaming landscape, it's incredibly difficult for a series to have this much staying power. Secondly, Yellowstone made it to the top of the Paramount+ heap despite not being on the streaming platform in the United States — there, it's on Peacock due to a distribution deal.
There’s More Taylor Sheridan To Come In 2026
As if having five of his shows on Paramount+'s top 10 list isn't enough, Sheridan has at least two more series premiering new seasons this calendar year. Lioness, Sheridan's spy thriller series about female CIA operatives, will premiere its third season on August 2, 2026, while Marshals season 2 will debut on October 4, 2026.
It's entirely possible that that's not all. Tulsa King season 4 is widely speculated to premiere later this year, while production has officially wrapped on The Madison season 2 and Mayor of Kingstown's fifth and final season, meaning they coulddebut in 2026 as well. With Landman season 3 and Dutton Ranch season 2 greenlit, along with Tulsa King spinoff Frisco King, it's not out of the question to imagine Taylor Sheridan one day claiming every spot on Paramount+'s top 10 list.