The Boys Season 5 Mocks Yellowstone Creator Taylor Sheridan’s TV Empire – SlashFilm

This article contains spoilers for “The Boys” Season 5, Episode 7.

“The Boys” Season 5 has poked fun at Nicole Kidman, celebrity cameos in TV shows, and so much more. However, artificial intelligence has been one of this season’s biggest targets, which is where Taylor Sheridan comes into play. In Episode 7, The Boys enter Vought Studios, where an AI writing program is being used to create a propagandist neo-Western. However, the AI tool refuses to take notes, which is a clear dig at Sheridan’s history of marching to the beat of his own drum.

Once upon a time, Sheridan refused to use writers’ rooms and didn’t accept studio notes. He believed that other writers wouldn’t have shared his vision, as his shows are antithetical to how television is created in Hollywood. In recent years, Sheridan has become more accepting of using other writers and delegating tasks, but he wrote almost every “Yellowstone” series by himself, so “The Boys” joke will no doubt tickle viewers who are familiar with his reputation.

The Sheridan-esque show in Episode 7 is also described as a “dog pile of red state bumper stickers slapped together.” The “Yellowstone” franchise has faced similar criticisms in the past, but Sheridan has shut down these claims, noting “Yellowstone” is too critical of corporations and the mistreatment of Native Americans to be conservative. With that in mind, why did Eric Kripke and co. decide to mock Sheridan’s TV universe in “The Boys” Season 7?

Eric Kripke has gone on record saying the aforementioned joke was inspired by his children watching “Landman,” Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western crime drama about the Texas oil industry. However, Kripke also previously called out Taylor Sheridan for his rejection of writers’ rooms, claiming that it’s damn-near impossible for a single person to pen entire television seasons by themselves. As Kripke told Deadline:

“Whatever Mr. Yellowstone and all this stuff about like, ‘I don’t want to have a room’ or ‘I don’t need a room.’ My feeling is, you’re missing out on the best part of this job. All of it is a grinding s*** show. Except you get to hang out with the smartest people you’ve ever met at a cocktail party that never ends. That’s the best part. So I don’t understand why that’s even an issue.”

Clearly, Kripke and Sheridan’s opinions haven’t always aligned on the writers’ room debate. Still, at least the “The Boys” creator’s gripes with Sheridan’s previous comments led to the creation of a pretty funny joke on his superhero series — one that will no doubt get fans talking and potentially even ruffle a few feathers.