Why are Taylor Sheridan shows snubbed for awards? Billy Bob Thornton has an idea
Taylor Sheridan is one of the most prolific television creators of the last decade, but there’s one area where his shows are lacking — awards recognition.
Sheridan’s shows have not been completely blinked by awards voters, with some of his leading actors receiving nominations like Billy Bob Thornton in “Landman” or Helen Mirren in “1923.”
However, many of Sheridan’s fans believe there’s a stigma to his work, likely because of its more conservative-leaning elements. That thought is also shared by Thornton, who spoke about this with Variety after the “Landman” season 2 finale a few weeks ago.
Here’s what he said.
Why are Sheridan shows sometimes underrepresented in award conversations?
That was the question posed to Thornton.
“I think a lot of it’s 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.
While “Landman” is about the oil business, Thornton says Sheridan simply shows audiences the reality of the industry and does not gloat about it.
The Paramount+ show is about the people who work in this business, the people on the periphery of it and the families born into it, Thornton said. It’s a world of gambling, where folks never know what’s going to happen.
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.”
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 said 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.
Award nominations for Sheridan shows
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.
“Yellowstone” prequel “1883” landed three Emmy nominations for below-the-line work like cinematography and score. Sam Elliott won an Actor’s 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 (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’s Awards (airs March 1) nominated the show for its stunt work and for best ensemble in a drama series.
All the shows listed above are streaming on Paramount+ besides “Yellowstone,” which is on Peacock.
