OPINION | Views expressed in this article reflect the author's opinion.
Taylor Sheridan interviewed about 'Yellowstone' via CBS

The show “Yellowstone” has become wildly popular among conservative Americans for its obvious anti-woke, pro-America, and Western-themed drama.

However, the show’s creator, Taylor Sheridan, is criticizing conservatives who claim the drama resonates with a “red state” audience.

If you “truly” watch his work, Sheridan says it’s “wildly progressive.”

“The people who are calling it a red-state show have probably never watched it,” the 52-year-old said. “They refer to it as ‘the conservative show’ or ‘the Republican show’ or ‘the red-state Game of Thrones.’” (Poll: Do You Stand With Trump? VOTE)

“And I just sit back laughing,” he continued. “I’m like, ‘Really?’ The show’s talking about the displacement of Native Americans and the way Native American women were treated and about corporate greed and the gentrification of the West, and land-grabbing.”

“That’s a red-state show?” Sheridan asked.

Fake cowboy Kevin Costner, who plays the lead role of John Dutton in the show, notoriously endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 and Joe Biden in 2020.

Sheridan argued that it is “ridiculous” to view his film as “red state.”

“People perceive all my stuff as red state, and it’s the most ridiculous thing,” he said. “If you truly look at this show or ‘Wind River’ or ‘Sicario,’ these are pretty wildly progressive notions. The people who are calling it a red-state show have probably never watched it,” he added.

The “Yellowstone” creator says he is influenced by Clint Eastwood’s 1992 film “Unforgiven.”

The film explored how to change the nature of good guys and bad guys in Westerns.

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Sheridan said Eastwood “let the sheriff be a bully and the hero be this drunken, vicious killer” and he “shattered the myth of the American Western.”

“So when I stepped into that world, I wanted there to be real consequences. I wanted to never, ever shy away from, ‘This was the price.’”

“Yellowstone” has very high viewership, but has not won many significant awards. Critics speculate the lack of awards is due to Hollywood bias against conservative values and American traditions.