‘Yellowstone’ Boss: Woke Entertainment Giant Snubbed Hit Show as “Too Middle America”

The Creator of “Yellowstone” Reveals How a Major TV Network Rejected the Hit Show for Being “Too Middle America”

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Taylor Sheridan, the mastermind behind the popular TV series “Yellowstone,” shared the surprising story of how the show was initially turned down by another television service for not aligning with their vision.

Sheridan approached HBO with the idea for “Yellowstone,” a gripping drama set in the world of Montana ranchers. While the network’s programming president, Michael Lombardo, saw the potential in the concept, the rest of the team failed to grasp its brilliance.

“I thought Taylor was the real deal,” Lombardo admitted. “In a world of people who pose, he was writing what he knew, and he cared desperately about the show. The idea of doing a modern-classic Western was a great idea — we were always doing urban shows, and this felt fresh.”

However, HBO executives were hesitant about the casting choice for the lead role of John Dutton. Sheridan suggested Kevin Costner, but the network couldn’t envision it.

As their interest waned, Sheridan and co-creator John Linson found themselves in a “crisis meeting” with an unnamed HBO vice president. During the meeting, the vice president made a shocking statement that revealed the network’s disdain for Middle America.

“Look, it just feels so Middle America. We’re HBO, we’re avant-garde, we’re trendsetters. This feels like a step backward.”

This condescending attitude towards Middle America is nothing new. Wealthy liberals residing in luxurious enclaves like Manhattan and Beverly Hills have long held a disdain for hard-working, blue-collar Americans in the Heartland due to their conservative values and rejection of the leftist agenda.

But the HBO vice president’s remarks didn’t stop there. According to Sheridan, the executive went on to say something even more infuriating.

“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.”

Imagine that – an executive at a major TV network suggesting that an entire region of the country should be devoid of human habitation. This region, where vital economic activities take place, is essential for the functioning of our nation.

Presumably, the HBO vice president would prefer everyone to flock to cities like New York or Los Angeles, leaving their “backward” ideas behind and embracing the supposedly “enlightened” worldview of the left.

As The Hollywood Reporter aptly put it, “The executive’s coastal elite diss convinced Sheridan that HBO didn’t appreciate his story.”

Fortunately, Sheridan and Middle America had the last laugh. After shopping the show around, Paramount picked up “Yellowstone” with Kevin Costner in the lead role, and it turned out to be a massive success.

Not only did “Yellowstone” become a hit, but it also spawned two spinoff series, “1888” and “1923,” with a third currently in the works featuring Matthew McConaughey as the lead.

While HBO dismissed “Yellowstone,” the network has embraced “woke” shows that have failed to resonate with audiences.

One notable example is the widely despised “Velma,” a “Scooby-Doo” spinoff that abandoned everything fans loved about the original series in favor of pushing a leftist agenda.

HBO is not alone in this trend. Disney has also experienced a significant decline in viewership due to its insistence on injecting racial and sexual identity politics into its content, even aimed at children.

These woke companies seem to never learn. Instead of listening to their audience and creating content that resonates, HBO and Disney continue to churn out programming that promotes a specific ideological agenda.

Taylor Sheridan’s success with “Yellowstone” serves as a powerful reminder that the imagination and stories of ordinary people in Middle America are worth celebrating and embracing.

Source: The Western Journal

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases