Stephen King Asks Why Taylor Sheridan's Hit Western Series Was Snubbed By The Emmys

You can add Stephen King's name to the list of people wondering why Taylor Sheridan's shows miss out on major Emmy nominations. 

The celebrated horror writer has Sheridan's contemporary Western series "Landman" on his mind, as King took to social media on October 8 to voice his confusion about why the Paramount+ show has yet to earn recognition from the Television Academy through its first two seasons. "I don't understand why LANDMAN didn't get nominated for Emmy awards," King wrote on X. "Particularly Billy Bob Thornton for best actor and Stephen Kay for best director. Is it politics, or what?" To date, none of Sheridan's TV shows have received nominations in above-the-line categories. "Lioness" and "Tulsa King" gathered nods for stunts while "Yellowstone" was nominated for production design, but when it comes to acting, directing, and series as a whole, Sheridan-created projects have been shut out. 

In the case of "Landman," King ponders an interesting question because the show has garnered a fair amount of critical acclaim and landed both Critics Choice and Golden Globe nominations for Thornton's lead performance. Even though popularity and positive reviews don't always translate Emmy nominations and wins, the repeated exclusion of "Landman" and other Sheridan properties remains a relative mystery. The conservative-leaning politics of Sheridan's work and Paramount+'s lower status in the streaming world have been speculated as reasons for the Emmys ignoring his shows, though we may never know for certain. 

Sheridan fans often lament his lack of Emmy nods, but the renowned showrunner doesn't seem to care much about being left out of TV's biggest night. During an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast earlier this year, Sheridan spoke about his rocky relationship with critics and explained how he has approached his TV endeavors with Paramount+. 

"You're going to pay me, and you're going to give me a bunch of money, and I'm going to deliver you these shows," he said. "You're not going to win no Emmys with me, but I'm not trying to win Emmys. That's not my goal. My goal is to sit somebody on their couch and move them, make them think, make them laugh, scare the s**t out of them, excite them. That's what I want to do, because that's what I want from a show."

From "Landman" to "Lioness," Sheridan's series have drawn significant viewership to Paramount+ despite their limited awards haul. However, the streamer won't have him forever, as Sheridan is set to leave for NBCUniversal at the beginning of 2029. For now though, viewers can look forward to "Landman" Season 3 — which recently began production. There's always hope for an Emmy nomination this time around, but it's doubtful Sheridan will lose any sleep if his fruitless streak continues.