Why HBO Didn’t Make Yellowstone (Despite Initially Developing It)

HBO is synonymous with producing quality original shows, but the network’s execs have let some opportunities fall by the wayside in the past. Case in point: the decision to reject Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone,” the hit neo-Western series whose franchise has proven to be Paramount’s prize-winning cow. So what led to the folks at HBO turning down the modern-day horse opera?

Sheridan is known for having complete creative control of his projects, and he wasn’t willing to change the show’s Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) character to satisfy the HBO executives who felt she was too unlikable for viewers to accept. “‘We think she’s too abrasive. We want to tone her down. Women won’t like her,'” Sheridan recalled them saying in a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “They were wrong, because Beth says the quiet part out loud every time. When someone’s rude to you in a restaurant, or cuts you off in the parking lot, Beth says the thing you wish you’d said.”

Beth is certainly flawed, harsh, and downright cruel at times, but she is also fierce, loyal, tough, vulnerable, and entertaining. These nuances are why she is one of the best and most memorable characters on “Yellowstone,” and if the series’ success tells us anything, it’s that Sheridan was right to stick to his guns. Reilly is also set to play Beth again in an upcoming spin-off series, so it’s fair to say the character has mass appeal. However, Beth wasn’t the only reason HBO rejected “Yellowstone.” In fact, one of the higher-ups felt that the show wasn’t the right fit for the network’s sensibilities and target audience, and Sheridan wasn’t willing to compromise his vision to adhere to the brand’s style.

“Yellowstone” is often described as a red-state show, a sweeping generalization that does not take into account the show’s ideological nuances. Still, the show has resonated with viewers all across the political spectrum, many of whom lean conservative and live far away from the bright lights of New York and Los Angeles. Taylor Sheridan hasn’t shied away from courting this audience either, even though he believes “Yellowstone” is more complex than its naysayers give it credit for. That said, HBO rejected the series for targeting an audience the network’s shows aren’t made for.

“We go to lunch in some snazzy place in West L.A.,” Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter. “And [Yellowstone co-creator] John Linson finally asks: ‘Why don’t you want to make it?’ And the vp goes: ‘Look, it just feels so Middle America. We’re HBO, we’re avant-garde, we’re trendsetters. This feels like a step backward. And frankly, I’ve got to be honest, I don’t think anyone should be living out there [in rural Montana]. It should be a park or something.'”

If HBO knew how big “Yellowstone” would become, maybe the powers-that-be would have greenlit the series and left Sheridan to his own devices. Their loss was Paramount’s gain, though, and the cowboy franchise looks set to keep riding on for years to come.