Taylor Sheridan’s television work is easy to recognize: hard men, contested land, political violence, family loyalty and institutions that rarely solve the problems they create. But the shows are not equally successful. Some turn that formula into gripping prestige drama; others rely too heavily on monologues, brutality or familiar Sheridan machinery.
This ranking covers the original seven-show group associated with Sheridan’s television rise: Mayor of Kingstown, Yellowstone, Lioness, Landman, Tulsa King, 1883 and 1923. The order uses current professional review scores from Metacritic as a consistent benchmark, rather than presenting one viewer’s preference as objective fact.
7. Mayor of Kingstown
Metascore: 55
Created by Taylor Sheridan and Hugh Dillon, Mayor of Kingstown is set in a Michigan town where prisons are the dominant industry. The McLusky family acts as an unofficial government, negotiating between inmates, guards, police, gangs and grieving families.
The premise is excellent, and Jeremy Renner gives Mike McLusky a suitably exhausted center. The problem is that the series frequently mistakes relentless misery for depth. Nearly every storyline escalates toward another beating, riot, execution or betrayal, while the dialogue can sound like several characters delivering the same Sheridan speech in different rooms.
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Its strongest material examines how incarceration spreads beyond prison walls. Its weakest material turns that idea into repetitive, punishing melodrama.
6. Yellowstone
Metascore: 57
Yellowstone made Sheridan one of television’s defining modern western storytellers. Kevin Costner’s John Dutton is the patriarch of a Montana ranch fighting developers, neighboring ranchers, tribal authorities and his own children to preserve the Yellowstone property.
The show’s appeal is obvious: huge landscapes, muscular performances, horseback action and family conflicts that operate at the scale of a political thriller. Beth Dutton, played by Kelly Reilly, is one of Sheridan’s most memorable creations, and the ranch itself functions as both home and battleground.
It ranks below the prequels because its plotting becomes increasingly extravagant. Political schemes, sudden reversals and soap-operatic family warfare eventually overshadow the grounded western drama that made the early episodes so effective. Even when it becomes excessive, however, Yellowstone remains the foundation of Sheridan’s television empire.
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Metascore: 61
Originally released as Special Ops: Lioness, the Paramount+ thriller follows a covert CIA program that places female operatives close to terrorist targets. Zoe Saldaña plays Joe, the officer responsible for recruiting and managing agents whose assignments can destroy their personal lives.
The series is at its best when it focuses on the emotional cost of intelligence work. Joe is not simply sending soldiers into danger; she is building relationships with women who may have to disappear, kill or betray people they love. Nicole Kidman and Michael Kelly add institutional gravitas, while the action sequences have Sheridan’s usual physical force.
Rank #2
- Genre: TV Drama
- Number of Discs: 21
- Number of Tracks: 0
- Playback Duration: 1176
- Rating: NR
Lioness is less consistent when its geopolitical complexity is reduced to blunt speeches and straightforward villains. Still, its military setting gives Sheridan a different arena from ranches, prisons and oil fields, and the central performances keep it compelling.
4. Landman
Metascore: 62
Co-created by Sheridan and Christian Wallace, Landman moves the Sheridan formula into West Texas’ oil industry. Billy Bob Thornton plays Tommy Norris, a crisis manager who deals with oil-field accidents, corporate pressure, family problems and the dangerous people operating around the drilling business.
The show works because it treats oil production as both an industry and a source of constant physical risk. The machinery, wells, explosions and regulatory problems provide a strong procedural engine, while Thornton gives Tommy enough weariness and charm to carry the series through its rougher stretches.
Its central weakness is tonal imbalance. A serious story about workplace deaths and energy politics can sit beside broad sexual humor or scenes that feel designed primarily to provoke. Landman is entertaining and watchable, but its ambition does not always match its execution.
3. Tulsa King
Metascore: 66
Tulsa King gives Sylvester Stallone his first major television lead as Dwight “The General” Manfredi, a New York mobster released from prison after 25 years and sent to Tulsa. When he realizes his old organization has discarded him, Dwight starts building a new criminal operation in unfamiliar territory.
The fish-out-of-water setup gives the series a lighter, more accessible energy than most Sheridan dramas. Stallone understands exactly how to play Dwight’s age, vanity and old-school confidence, and the contrast between Mafia etiquette and modern Oklahoma creates much of the comedy.
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The supporting cast helps, particularly when the story examines the people Dwight recruits rather than treating them as disposable muscle. The series can still lapse into wish-fulfillment: its protagonist is violent, manipulative and repeatedly rewarded for being the smartest person in the room. But as a brisk crime comedy with a star-driven center, Tulsa King is one of Sheridan’s easiest shows to enjoy.
2. 1883
Metascore: 69
This one-season prequel follows James and Margaret Dutton as they travel west with their family across the Great Plains. The journey eventually leads to the land that will become the Yellowstone ranch, but 1883 is more interested in survival than dynasty.
Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill anchor the cast, while Isabel May’s narration gives the series a reflective voice. Unlike the later Yellowstone, this is not primarily a story about possessing land. It is about how difficult it is to reach land at all. Hunger, weather, disease, violence and exhaustion are constant threats.
The series sometimes underlines its themes with conspicuously polished narration, and some characters feel more symbolic than fully developed. Even so, its limited structure gives the story focus. The journey has a clear endpoint, and its emotional consequences feel earned rather than endlessly extended.
1. 1923
Metascore: 71
The highest-rated entry in this seven-show group is 1923, which follows an earlier generation of Duttons during Prohibition, the aftermath of World War I, economic hardship and the expansion of industrial power in the American West.
Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren give the series a formidable center as Jacob and Cara Dutton. Their marriage is not merely decorative: it is the operating partnership that keeps the ranch alive. The story also broadens the family saga beyond Montana, using Spencer Dutton’s experiences in Africa and Alex’s European storyline to show how the era’s violence and upheaval reach across continents.
1923 is not always tidy. Its separate storylines can feel like different series competing for attention, and the historical drama occasionally gives way to sweeping romance. But the scale is matched by unusually strong performances and a more mature understanding of what the Dutton myth costs the people who inherit it.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the seven compare
| Rank | Series | Metascore | Format and status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Mayor of Kingstown | 55 | Five-season crime drama |
| 6 | Yellowstone | 57 | Completed five-season western drama |
| 5 | Lioness | 61 | Two-season espionage thriller |
| 4 | Landman | 62 | Two-season oil-industry drama |
| 3 | Tulsa King | 66 | Three-season crime comedy-drama |
| 2 | 1883 | 69 | Completed one-season limited series |
| 1 | 1923 | 71 | Completed two-season historical drama |
What is not included?
The phrase “Taylor Sheridan TV shows” now covers more than this original seven-show group. Later projects include Lawmen: Bass Reeves, on which Sheridan served as an executive producer; The Madison; Marshals; and Dutton Ranch. They are excluded here to preserve the seven-show scope behind this ranking.
There is also an important credit distinction. Sheridan created Yellowstone, 1883, 1923, Tulsa King and Lioness, while Mayor of Kingstown and Landman were co-created with Hugh Dillon and Christian Wallace. Sheridan’s involvement also varies by episode and season; these are not all shows written entirely by one person.
FAQ
What is Taylor Sheridan’s best TV show?
By the current Metacritic ranking used here, 1923 is the best of the original seven, followed by 1883. Viewers who prefer contemporary western drama may still put Yellowstone first.
Which Taylor Sheridan show should I watch first?
Start with Yellowstone if you want the central ranch saga and its largest cultural footprint. Start with 1883 if you prefer a complete, tightly structured limited series.
Is 1883 connected to Yellowstone?
Yes. 1883 is a prequel about the Dutton family’s journey to Montana. It provides the origin story for the ranch that becomes central to Yellowstone.
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Are these all of Taylor Sheridan’s TV shows?
No. This is the original seven-show scope. Sheridan’s broader television portfolio also includes later projects such as Lawmen: Bass Reeves, The Madison, Marshals and Dutton Ranch.
The Bottom Line
1923 is the strongest overall package: it combines major performances, historical scale and a focused family story. 1883 is the most disciplined, while Yellowstone remains the essential starting point for understanding Sheridan’s television brand. The lower-ranked shows are still highly watchable, but they are more vulnerable to repetition, tonal excess and familiar storytelling habits.
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