Taylor Sheridan has quickly become television's most talked-about creator. Following after the likes of Ryan Murphy and Greg Berlanti, Sheridan now has multiple TV series with more in the works. He's best known for Paramount Network's Yellowstone, which expanded into a full universe with the addition of prequels 1883 and 1923. Add in Mayor of Kingstown and Tulsa King, and Sheridan also has the four biggest shows on Paramount+.

What made the former Sons of Anarchy actor into TV's biggest showrunner? Sheridan's series are gritty stories with uncompromising heroes that aren't afraid to venture into moral grey areas. They've attracted top-level talent including Kevin Costner, Sylvester Stallone and Helen Mirren. And they know how to keep audiences hooked. Keep reading for a complete guide to the Sheridan-Verse and why it has such a grip on critics and audiences alike.

RELATED: Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 7, 'The Dream Is Not Me' Recap & Spoilers

Yellowstone Revitalized the Western Genre

Yellowstone Dutton

Sheridan's first and still best-known series is Yellowstone, the Paramount Network drama that follows Kevin Costner's John Dutton as he and his family battle to keep control of their ranch and fight competing interests in Montana. It's a modern Western with characters who are not always likeable, but always compelling as there's virtually nothing they won't do to stay ahead. In the current fifth season, Wes Bentley's Jamie Dutton is out of control while John has become Governor of Montana. It seems like no one can stop the Duttons -- or the popularity of the series, which is constantly running on Paramount and streaming on Peacock.

1883 Was a Tragic Yellowstone Prequel

1883 Sam Elliott

Given Yellowstone's success, it was no surprise that Sheridan created a spinoff; what made it interesting was that he chose to do a prequel. As the title indicates, 1883 was a look at a far earlier generation of the Dutton family, led by John Dutton's great-great grandfather James. It was Sheridan's version of a classic Western with the same bite as its parent series. Real-life couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill portrayed James and his wife Margaret, after previously appearing in Yellowstone Season 4. Sam Elliott, the former Thunderbolt Ross, also shone as struggling hero Shea Brennan. Fans and Paramount alike were shocked by the ending; though it had been renewed for Season 2, Sheridan always envisioned 1883 as a limited series. That confusion wound up leading to 1923.

1923's Yellowstone Prequel Continues the Dutton Legacy

1923 Harrison Ford

After everyone recovered from not getting 1883 Season 2, viewers found some relief in the announcement of 1923, another prequel with a new group of Duttons several years later. The show has been another hit for Paramount since its Paramount+ premiere in Dec. 2022, but how could any show go wrong with Harrison Ford as a cowboy? Jaws further dropped when Helen Mirren was announced to play the wife of Ford's character Jacob Dutton -- a power couple to rival Yellowstone's Rip and Beth. 1923 is already confirmed to run for two seasons, so audiences don't have to worry about another abrupt ending. Both 1923 and 1883 are streaming on Paramount+.

RELATED: 1923: James Badge Dale & Marley Shelton Detail Filming the Yellowstone Prequel

6666 Brings Taylor Sheridan's Ethos to Another Ranch

Yellowstone Ranch Hands

While its numeric title is similar to the aforementioned Yellowstone spinoffs, 6666 will be moving away from the Duttons. The number refers to the name of the ranch -- a real-life location in Guthrie, Texas that covers acres of land and has decades of history. But this is not a reality show; Sheridan already did that with The Last Cowboy. Instead, he's producing a scripted drama that takes place at 6666 Ranch. No one has been cast in the series yet and no plot specifics are available, but it's expected to premiere sometime in 2023.

1883: The Bass Reeves Story Expands Sheridan's Prequel World

David Oyelowo in Selma

This limited series is also based on a true story -- that of legendary lawman Bass Reeves. Reeves was the first Black U.S. Marshal to work west of the Mississippi and reportedly was involved in over 3,000 arrests before his death in 1910. David Oyelowo, who portrayed another icon as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, is going to portray Reeves and executive produces the show as well. Oyelowo is an incredible actor who has also voiced Kallus in the Star Wars universe and stole scenes as Danny Hunter in MI-5, so he's a perfect fit for the role. The series is also expected to start in 2023 on Paramount+.

Land Man Moves the Sheridan-Verse to Texas

billy bob thornton fargo

Billy Bob Thornton has made a career out of playing complicated characters, whether it's in Fargo or Goliath or his recent animated series. He always has some kind of darkness in him, so it's not surprising that the Oscar winner has found his way onto a Taylor Sheridan show. In Land Man, he'll be in the middle of the West Texas oil industry. The series focuses on the battle between the working class on the oil rigs and the billionaires hoping to control the profits -- think of it as a more timely Downton Abbey with black gold. Thornton seems like he'll fit right into the ruthless world Sheridan is envisioning when the series arrives in 2023 on Paramount+.

RELATED: Yellowstone: Why Did Jamie Dutton Kill His Dad?

Mayor of Kingstown is Taylor Sheridan's Great Collaboration

Mayor of Kingstown Jeremy Renner

Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 premieres on Paramount+ in January 2023 and continues to take a hard look at the business of prisons. The series proved that Sheridan could tell more than Western stories -- but viewers often overlook that it's not just him running the show. He co-created it with actor and writer Hugh Dillon, best known for his role in the Canadian crime drama Flashpoint opposite Amy Jo Johnson. Dillon makes a great creative partner for Sheridan in addition to turning in another powerful acting performance. And Jeremy Renner steps away from the underrated Hawkeye to remind viewers that he's also a great character actor.

Tulsa King Makes Sylvester Stallone a Modern Gangster

Sylvester Stallone's character pats a horse in Tulsa King

Taylor Sheridan's newest show got Sylvester Stallone to commit to his first series regular role ever. That alone is a rousing endorsement for Tulsa King, which had a stronger debut than House of the Dragon. Like its Paramount+ sibling Mayor of Kingstown, it's both a modern crime drama and a collaboration. Sheridan created the series, but executive produces it with Boardwalk Empire's Terrence Winter and Stallone, who stars as criminal Dwight "The General" Manfredi. After serving a 25-year murder sentence, he's sent to Tulsa to establish himself there. Luckily this is a scripted drama, because he'd be no match for the real Tulsa Homicide detectives.

Lioness Launches Taylor Sheridan Into the Spy Genre

Zoe Saldana

Sheridan is continuing to expand his footprint into other genres with Lioness, his CIA drama in development for 2023. The Paramount+ series tells the story of a Marine recruited by the Agency to befriend a terrorist's daughter, with Guardians of the Galaxy's Zoe Saldana and Dave Annable among the ensemble cast. Will Sheridan be able to reinvent this familiar story the way he's changed Westerns? Based on his track record, it certainly seems possible.

Yellowstone airs Sundays at 8:00 p.m. on Paramount Network.