Entertainment
Before ‘Yellowstone’, Taylor Sheridan’s Breakout Role Was In This 4-Part Neo-Noir
In the world of television, there are very few creators who can outmatch Taylor Sheridan. Thanks to the success of Yellowstone, Sheridan’s built a veritable empire of TV shows for Paramount. He’s also wrangled a collection of talented actors to star in them, including Kevin Costner, Sylvester Stallone, and Harrison Ford. Long before he climbed to the top of the Paramount mountain, Sheridan racked up a collection of supporting roles on various television shows. One of those series was on a popular 2000’s-era neo-noir series, and it features Sheridan playing a character that’s the complete opposite of the rugged, salt-of-the-earth cowboy types he often writes about or portrays in his current shows.
That series is none other than Veronica Mars. The Rob Thomas-created series stars Kristen Bell as the titular private eye, who juggles solving crimes in her hometown of Neptune with completing high school. Equal parts dark and witty, Veronica Mars was a major success during its original run, outlasting the end of its parent network, UPN, and even returning for both a movie and a revival series. It also saw a number of iconic guest stars during that run, including Tessa Thompson and Amanda Seyfried. That raises the question:What exactly is Taylor Sheridan’s role in Veronica Mars?
Taylor Sheridan Is Utterly Unrecognizable in ‘Veronica Mars’
Taylor Sheridan makes his first appearance in Veronica Mars during the Season 2 episode “Ahoy Mateys” as Danny Boyd, the cousin of criminal Liam Fitzpatrick (Rodney Rowland). Veronica first encounters Danny when she’s investigating a mystery involving a school bus that plunged into the Pacific Ocean. Danny isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, as he unwittingly shows Veronica around his cousin’s headquarters and winds up being taken down by her signature taser shortly after. It’s a far cry from Sheridan’s clean-cut role as David Hale in Sons of Anarchy, but it showcases that the man has some serious range.
Danny would wind up playing a key role in Season 2 of Veronica Mars, since he has a connection to a plastic surgeon whom Veronica suspects is involved in the bus crash. Said surgeon almost put Veronica’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) behind bars, making Danny’s help all the more necessary. Sheridan would reprise his role in two more episodes of Season 3, though his last appearance in the episode “Debasement Tapes” was overshadowed by none other than Paul Rudd. Despite a brief run, Sheridan managed to be one of Veronica Mars’ most memorable guest stars.
‘Veronica Mars’ Was The Beginning of the End of Taylor Sheridan’s Acting Career
Shortly after his stint on Veronica Mars, Taylor Sheridan would board Sons of Anarchy. However, he quit after that show’s third season to pursue writing, as he felt he wasn’t paid enough for his roles. Sheridan further elaborated on his decision during a 2021 interview with Deadline, saying he knew the time was right to shift gears to writing and creating his own shows.
“It wasn’t so much over money. It was so much more than that’s how the business saw me… And I decided right there that I didn’t want to be 11 on the call sheet for the rest of my life.”
True to his word, Sheridan immediately pivoted to writing scripts for movies and television, beginning with the crime thriller Sicario and then launching the Yellowstone universe, which continues to this day with the spin-offs Y: Marshals and Dutton Ranch. He’s still managed to play key roles in those series, particularly in Yellowstone as horse trainer Travis Wheatley. Travis is the complete opposite of Danny Boyd, as he’s muscular, confident, and impresses every woman he comes into contact with. Some Yellowstone fans tend to see Travis as little more than Sheridan’s self-insert, since the series’ penultimate episode, which features him prominently, is the lowest-rated episode of Yellowstone‘s run.
Taylor Sheridan is about to undergo another seismic career shift, as he’s departing Paramount for a robust deal at Universal Pictures. Fans of his work should remember that his short-lived stint on Veronica Mars helped pave the path to his current superstardom.
- Release Date
-
March 14, 2014
- Runtime
-
107 minutes
You must be logged in to post a comment Login