Creator Taylor Sheridan during filming for “Landman,” streaming on Paramount+.
Taylor Sheridan may not be taking home an Emmy this year.
The 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced Wednesday morning ahead of the Mariska Hargitay-hosted ceremony on Sept. 14. The Bear‘s Liza Colón-Zayas and Widow’s Bay‘s Jeff Hiller announced the nominees in categories like best drama and best comedy.
Sheridan had two shows primed for awards this year in Landman and The Madison, but neither landed a nomination. Marshals and Dutton Ranch also didn’t earn any nods, although the latter premiered only a couple of weeks before Emmy eligibility closed on May 31.
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Some awards pundits predicted Michelle Pfeiffer would land a best lead actress in a drama nod for The Madison. Others thought Landman would finally break through after the show picked up nominations at previous Golden Globes and Actor Awards ceremonies.
The Sheridan-created Tulsa King did land one nomination for stunt coordination, but that was the sole nod among all his eligible projects. Pfeiffer also received a nomination, however, that was for supporting actress in a comedy series for Margo’s Got Money Troubles.
Nevertheless, Sheridan has made it known that he’s not making shows to win awards.
“You’re not going to win no Emmys with me, but I’m not trying to win Emmys. That’s not my goal,” Sheridan said on The Bill Simmons Podcast in late June. “My goal is to sit somebody on their couch and move them, make them think, make them laugh, scare the [expletive] out of them, excite them. That’s what I want to do because that’s what I want from a show.”
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Why are Sheridan shows sometimes underrepresented in award conversations?
That was a question posed to Landman’s Billy Bob Thornton earlier this year right after the show’s Season 2 concluded.
“I think a lot of its political. I really do. I think some people assume Taylor is some sort of right-wing guy or something, and he’s really not,” Thornton said.
Furthermore, Thornton said acting is not a sport and success can’t simply be measured by finishing first in a race.
“How do you say in the artistic world who won? It’s an intangible thing,” Thornton said. “Then people say, ‘Well, any one of the nominees besides me could have won this. They’re all wonderful actors.’ Not only them, some other actors in the audience who weren’t nominated, some other ones who aren’t even at the show, some other ones who aren’t even known by people have done an amazing job.”
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If someone puts their heart and soul into something they love, and they’re satisfied with the work, and it works for the production, Thornton said that’s the award.
The 70-year-old actor added that he’s “too damn old now” to worry about stuff like this.
“I got enough awards. I’m good. I’m sure the people that I work for or work with me don’t like to hear that. But I guess when I said I’m too damn old, I guess I’m too damn old to not tell the truth,” Thornton said.
A handful of Sheridan’s shows have been nominated for major awards over the years.
Over its six-year run, Yellowstone was nominated once each for an Emmy and Golden Globe. The show lost the Emmy for outstanding production design for a Season 3 episode, while Kevin Costner won the 2023 Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a television series.
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Yellowstone prequel 1883 landed three Emmy nominations for below-the-line work like cinematography and score. Sam Elliott won at the Actor Awards (formerly the Screen Actors Guild Awards) for his work.
For the other Yellowstone prequel 1923, the show was Emmy-nominated for costume design and production design. It fared better at the 2024 Golden Globes, landing nominations best drama series and a best leading actress (Helen Mirren).
Lioness was nominated at the 2025 Emmys for stunt coordination. Lawmen: Bass Reeves landed a 2024 Emmy nomination for score, and a lead actor Golden Globe nomination for David Oyelowo. Tulsa King was nominated at both the 2023 and 2025 Emmys for stunt coordination.
For Landman, Thornton was nominated at the 2025 Golden Globes for lead actor. The 2026 Actor Awards nominated the show for its stunt work and for best ensemble in a drama series.
Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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