Taylor Sheridan, known for writing his shows solo, had to delegate tasks for the Paramount+ series Lioness due to his busy schedule. This marked a shift from his past experiences, including writing every episode of Yellowstone. Lioness star Zoe Saldana noted his willingness to collaborate.
Taylor Sheridan once built a reputation for working alone on his television projects, rejecting traditional writers' rooms. However, for Lioness, his Paramount+ series about CIA operatives, he opened the process to other collaborators because of time constraints from his packed workload. In a Variety interview, Sheridan expressed uncertainty about this change: “How am I at delegating? How am I at expressing myself to these writers in a way that they understand, that they can then execute the draft and hold my vision? We'll find out.” This came after he had previously tried and failed to work with writers on Yellowstone, leading him to pen every episode himself. Despite perceptions of him as a control freak, evidence suggests otherwise. Lioness lead Zoe Saldana told USA Today that Sheridan listens to suggestions: “Believe it or not, that cowboy knows how to play well with others. I'm humbled by the amount of consideration I receive.” Following Lioness, Sheridan has delegated on other series like Tulsa King and Mayor of Kingstown, while retaining oversight. He has also eased control on Yellowstone-related projects, with Spencer Hudnut leading the CBS spin-off Marshals, focused on Luke Grimes's character Kayce Dutton.
