‘Yellowstone’ creator Taylor Sheridan says his love for a Texas ranch led to new TV series

Among his half a dozen shows in development, “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan is also crafting a series based on the real-life Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas. Sheridan also happens to own the 270,000-acre ranch, buying it in early 2022.

Sheridan visited 81-year-old Anne Marion in late 2019 to pitch the Four Sixes owner to have her ranch in his show “Yellowstone.” At the time, Sheridan pledged to make the Four Sixes “the most famous ranch in America.”

Marion asked if there would be any sex in the Four Sixes scenes, to which Sheridan replied in the affirmative. A cowboy and vet tech are sleeping together, and he wanted to know if that wasn’t already happening in real-life. Sheridan then asked if he could masturbate one stallion.

The ranch owner agreed to Sheridan’s requests, so long as she could pick the stallion.

“I grew up in the shadow of the Four Sixes,” Sheridan told the Hollywood Reporter. “To just get one of their horses was a status symbol, because they’re so well trained. This was the ranch I based [”Yellowstone”’s] scope and operation on, because it didn’t exist in Montana. Most ranches there had already been carved up. They’d already lost it.”

A couple months later, Marion died and Sheridan received a call from the estate. The ranch was going up for sale and they were offering Sheridan a chance to buy for $350 million.

Sheridan told them he was about $330 million short and to give him some time. Not long after, Sheridan renewed his overall production deal with Paramount Global to the tune of $200 million. A few investors later and Sheridan had enough to purchase his dream.

“I was real rich for 45 minutes,” Sheridan said. “Then I was broke again. That was the trade.”

Sheridan says he does the shows for the ranch. Which is why the creative is spending a little extra care on crafting the ideal Four Sixes series.

“That, for a number of reasons, needs a unique level of special care because this is a real place with real families working here,” he said. “You have to respect the lineage. I’ve told [the studio] to be patient.”