Taylor Sheridan is effectively running an empire right now. Between Yellowstone, 1883, Landman, Mayor of Kingstown, Dutton Ranch, and whatever’s next on the assembly line, the man has more shows on air at once than most networks do. I respect the hustle, and I’ve watched almost every grueling hour of it. But somewhere around the third or fourth spin-off, the seams started to show, and the formula became increasingly familiar. Dialogue gets recycled between shows, plots shuffle around to make room for the next franchise entry, and the whole universe has started to feel like a content machine.

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