Taylor Sheridan came real close to a major role on The Walking Dead, only for a future star to replace him. Years before the Taylor Sheridan TV empire – consisting of the many Yellowstone shows and Landman – he was a jobbing actor. Sheridan’s IMDb is littered with guest roles on everything from Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman to Veronica Mars.
In a June 2026 episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Sheridan opened up about his acting days and spoke of two roles he didn’t land that could have changed things for him. One was American History X, playing a friend of Ed Norton’s character. This role was written out of the final movie though, with his function in the story going to Stacy Keach’s character.
The Sheridan-verse · Ranch Assessment
Taylor Sheridan
Trivia Challenge
🏠 Yellowstone Protect the ranch
🐴 1883 The Oregon Trail
🌾 1923 Drought & dust
🔒 Kingstown Prison politics
🎼 Tulsa King Made man, new town
01
The Dutton family has controlled the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States for over a century. In which state is the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch located?
✓ Correct! The Yellowstone Dutton Ranch sits near the border of Yellowstone National Park in Montana. The show is filmed primarily in Montana, with the real-life Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby serving as the Dutton homestead.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Montana. The Dutton Ranch borders Yellowstone National Park in Big Sky Country. While the rugged landscape could pass for Wyoming or Idaho, the show is set — and largely filmed — in Montana.
02
John Dutton is the iron-willed patriarch who will stop at nothing to protect his family’s land. Which Oscar-winning actor portrayed him for the first four seasons of Yellowstone?
✓ Correct! Kevin Costner brought gravitas and quiet intensity to John Dutton, anchoring Yellowstone as one of the most-watched shows on cable television. His departure ahead of Season 5B became one of the biggest stories in TV.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Kevin Costner. While Sam Elliott did appear in 1883, Josh Brolin has his own Sheridan series (Outer Range isn’t Sheridan’s), and Kurt Russell hasn’t joined the Sheridan-verse. Costner defined John Dutton.
03
In the prequel series 1883, a Civil War veteran leads his family on a brutal wagon-train journey from Texas to Montana to find a new home. What is the name of this original Dutton patriarch?
✓ Correct! James Dutton, played by Tim McGraw, is the Civil War veteran who leads his wife Margaret and their children on the perilous journey west. His daughter Elsa narrates the series, and the family’s arrival in Montana establishes the Yellowstone Ranch.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is James Dutton. Jacob Dutton is the character Harrison Ford plays in 1923 — James’s brother. John Dutton Sr. doesn’t appear until later generations, and Emmett Dutton doesn’t exist in the Sheridan-verse.
04
On the Dutton Ranch, certain cowboys receive a permanent mark of loyalty — a hot-iron brand seared into their skin that signifies a blood oath to the ranch. What symbol is this feared brand?
✓ Correct! The branded “Y” is the Yellowstone Ranch’s livestock mark, but for ranch hands, wearing it on their chest means a lifelong oath of silence and loyalty. “Taking someone to the train station” is what happens to those who betray it.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is the letter “Y” — for Yellowstone. The brand is both a ranch identifier and a mark of absolute loyalty. Characters like Rip, Kayce, and Jimmy all bear the “Y” brand, signifying they’ve sworn their lives to the ranch.
05
In 1923, the Dutton family battles drought, Prohibition, and encroaching modernity during the Great Depression era. Which legendary Hollywood actor plays patriarch Jacob Dutton?
✓ Correct! Harrison Ford stars as Jacob Dutton alongside Helen Mirren as his wife Cara. Ford’s casting marked his first major television role and brought massive star power to the expanding Sheridan-verse. The series is set during Prohibition and the early Depression.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Harrison Ford. In his first major TV role, Ford plays Jacob Dutton, brother of James Dutton from 1883. Helen Mirren stars opposite him as Cara Dutton. Their star power helped make 1923 Paramount+’s biggest premiere.
06
Beth Dutton’s volatile love story with a tough ranch foreman is one of Yellowstone’s most beloved storylines. The two eventually marry in a surprise ceremony. Who is Beth’s husband?
✓ Correct! Rip Wheeler, played by Cole Hauser, is John Dutton’s most loyal enforcer and Beth’s husband. Taken in by John as a teenager after a traumatic past, Rip would do anything for the Dutton family — and his fierce devotion to Beth became a fan-favorite romance.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Rip Wheeler. Lloyd Pierce is the bunkhouse elder, Walker is a ranch hand and musician, and Jimmy Hurdstrom is the hapless cowboy who eventually gets sent to the 6666 Ranch in Texas. Only Rip won Beth’s wild heart.
07
In Mayor of Kingstown, a family serves as power brokers in a Michigan town where the prison industry is the only business. Which family navigates this dark world of incarceration and corruption?
✓ Correct! The McLusky family, led by Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner), acts as unofficial mediators between prisoners, gangs, police, and politicians in Kingstown, Michigan. The show is one of Sheridan’s grittiest explorations of the American justice system.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is the McLusky family. Jeremy Renner stars as Mike McLusky, who inherits the role of “mayor” — an unofficial power broker between inmates, gangs, and law enforcement. The Duttons are Yellowstone’s dynasty, not Kingstown’s.
08
One Dutton sibling is an adopted son and ambitious lawyer who frequently clashes with his family — sometimes even conspiring against them. His complex loyalty drives much of the show’s drama. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Jamie Dutton, played by Wes Bentley, is the adopted son and Harvard-educated lawyer whose desperate need for his father’s approval and political ambition create some of Yellowstone’s most dramatic betrayals. His rivalry with Beth is legendary.
✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Jamie Dutton. Kayce is John’s biological youngest son (a former Navy SEAL), Lee is the eldest son who dies in Season 1, and Tate is Kayce’s young son. Only Jamie is the adopted lawyer who conspires against the family.
Round-Up Complete Your Ranch Record
/ 8
Are you a ranch foreman — or headed straight to the train station?
The biggest revelation was that Sheridan came close to nabbing a lead role on The Walking Dead in 2010. He told host Bill Simmons that he got “pretty far down the road” for the first season, with the role of Rick (Andrew Lincoln’s) bestie Shane almost being his.
Jon Bernthal Beat Out Taylor Sheridan To The Walking Dead
Jon Bernthal as Shane holding a weapon over his shoulder in The Walking Dead.
Instead, a largely unknown Jon Bernthal landed the part, which then launched his career. Sheridan later worked with the actor on movies like Those Who Wish Me Dead and Wind River, and while filming the latter, he told Bernthal, “You know, you saved my a**, dude. I was damn near still an actor.”
With all due respect to Sheridan’s acting skills, The Walking Dead made the right choice. Sheridan’s role in Sons of Anarchy proves he was a fine performer, but Bernthal is a GREAT one. He almost single-handedly raises the quality of any film or show he appears in, and he made Shane one of the most complex and weirdly sympathetic villains of The Walking Dead.
Following Shane’s death, Jon Bernthal made two cameo appearances on The Walking Dead during the third and ninth seasons during hallucination sequences.
Even though he only appeared for two seasons, the actions of Bernthal’s Shane left an impact that lingered throughout the show’s run. In the same interview, Sheridan was also refreshingly honest about his acting days and believes he never broke through for a reason. Had he landed the Shane role, it would have given his acting career a big boost – but it would have distracted from his true calling.
Losing Out On Major Roles Pushed Taylor Sheridan Into Screenwriting
There’s also a universe where Bernthal lost out on The Walking Dead, and didn’t go on to roles in We Own This City, The Bear and The Punisher. In the end, the role went to the right actor. It was losing out on several major acting gigs that pushed Sheridan to try a new creative outlet, and despite having little experience with screenwriting, he decided that’s where his future lay.
It was certainly a gamble, but it worked out quite well. In truth, writing every single episode of Yellowstone resulted in some spotty episodes or subplots that went absolutely nowhere. Sheridan’s best writing work is still his American Frontier trilogy, where he didn’t have the time pressure of pumping out scripts for multiple shows.
He still acts on occasion too, including recurring roles on Yellowstone and Lioness, but the bulk of his time is spent overseeing his various shows. It’s a fascinating sliding doors thought to picture Sheridan on The Walking Dead, and imagine how he would have handled Shane’s biggest scenes, like sacrificing Otis (Pruitt Taylor Vince) to save himself.
He would have been good, but Bernthal felt custom-made for that character. There might be a universe where Taylor Sheridan is playing The Punisher in the MCU too, but it’s doubtful anyone – even Sheridan himself – would trade out Bernthal in any of his most famous roles.
Source: The Bill Simmons Podcast
Created by
Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard
First TV Show
The Walking Dead
Latest TV Show
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
Upcoming TV Shows
More Tales from the Walking Dead Universe
First Episode Air Date
October 31, 2010
Cast
Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Danai Gurira, Lauren Cohan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chandler Riggs, Steven Yeun, Lennie James
The Walking Dead is a massive multimedia franchise that began with a comic book series created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The franchise gained widespread popularity with the launch of the television series The Walking Dead in 2010 on AMC, which chronicles the lives of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, referred to as “walkers.” The success of the original show has led to numerous spin-offs, web series, video games, novels, and other media. The franchise explores themes of survival, human nature, and the breakdown of society in the face of an existential threat, making it one of the most successful and influential horror series of the 21st century.
