The Surprising Connection Between Sons of Anarchy and Taylor Sheridan’s Western TV Empire

Taylor Sheridan’s Western shows have redefined the modern Neo-Western landscape, and none of them would exist without Sons of Anarchy. From Yellowstone to 1883 to Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Sheridan has built a sprawling television empire that thrives on conflict, loyalty, and legacy, all wrapped in cowboy hats and cinematic visuals. Before becoming a writer-director-producer with serious Hollywood clout, he was just another working actor navigating the brutal world of serialized cable TV.

What many fans of Yellowstone might not realize is that Taylor Sheridan’s path to becoming the king of TV Westerns actually started with Sons of Anarchy. The gritty biker drama, created by Kurt Sutter, may seem far removed from the windswept ranches of Yellowstone, but the connections between the two worlds run deeper than expected. Sheridan’s experience on Sons of Anarchy didn’t just mark a turning point in his career – it shaped the tone of the stories he would later tell. Sheridan may not have created SAMCRO, but without it, his Western empire might never have been born.

Taylor Sheridan’s Role On Sons Of Anarchy Explained

Before Becoming The King Of TV Westerns, Sheridan Was A Key Supporting Player In SAMCRO’s Violent Rise

Before Taylor Sheridan was writing monologs for John Dutton, he was donning a badge as Deputy Chief David Hale in Sons of Anarchy. Portrayed across the first three seasons of the show, Hale was played by Sheridan and served as one of the few clean cops in the crime-riddled town of Charming. Positioned as a conflicted antagonist to SAMCRO, Hale believed in upholding the law – but not at the cost of his town’s soul. His attempts to walk the line between law enforcement and local loyalty gave Hale a unique moral tension, a theme that would later become a cornerstone of Taylor Sheridan’s Western shows.

Sheridan appeared in 21 episodes, mostly serving as a supporting character in SAMCRO’s chaotic orbit. But while Hale was sometimes overshadowed by bigger players like Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) and Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman), his presence helped flesh out the law-and-order perspective amid the biker anarchy. Importantly, Sheridan had no creative control over the show. He didn’t write, direct, or produce any episodes of Sons of Anarchy. At this point in his career, he was strictly an actor.

The real turning point came after Hale’s abrupt death in the season 3 premiere, “SO.” According to Sheridan, the way his character was written off – and the financial limitations he faced as a mid-tier actor – was the final straw. He left acting behind and began focusing entirely on writing. Though his name wasn’t in the credits behind the camera, Sons of Anarchy was the catalyst that pushed Sheridan toward becoming the creative force behind some of the most influential Western TV of the modern era.

Sons Of Anarchy Led Taylor Sheridan To Creating Yellowstone

Sheridan’s Career As A Writer Began When He Walked Away From Acting – And SAMCRO Gave Him The Push

Taylor Sheridan’s transition from actor to screenwriter was born out of frustration, and Sons of Anarchy played a major role. After spending three seasons as David Hale, Sheridan discovered that despite his character’s importance, his pay was low and his creative influence nonexistent. In interviews, he’s been open about how his salary barely allowed him to live in Los Angeles. When producers killed off Hale in the opening of season 3, Sheridan saw it as both a creative dead-end and a career wake-up call.

That moment lit the fire. Instead of chasing another acting gig, Sheridan turned to screenwriting – a gamble that paid off with his acclaimed 2015 script for Sicario. Just two years later, Yellowstone premiered, launching what would become an expanding universe of interconnected Taylor Sheridan Western shows. But none of this might’ve happened if Sheridan hadn’t reached a breaking point on Sons of Anarchy.

More than just an origin story, Sheridan’s exit from acting shows how Sons of Anarchy indirectly shaped the voice he would later use in Yellowstone. His experiences as a powerless actor in a high-stakes drama helped form his no-compromise approach as a writer. In Sheridan’s Westerns, characters demand control of their lives and their land. That need for sovereignty feels like a direct response to the creative limitations he experienced as David Hale. Sons of Anarchy didn’t just end one chapter of his life, it kickstarted the next.

Sons Of Anarchy’s Influence Is Easy To See On Yellowstone

While Yellowstone Isn’t About Bikers, It Shares Sons Of Anarchy’s Themes Of Loyalty, Legacy, And Violent Power Struggles

At a glance, Sons of Anarchy and Yellowstone might look like radically different shows – one’s about outlaw bikers, the other’s about wealthy ranchers. However, peel back the layers and the parallels are striking. Both revolve around tight-knit, morally ambiguous families locked in brutal battles to protect their turf. Both are steeped in violent codes of honor. What’s more both frame their protagonists as antiheroes clinging to a way of life that’s constantly under threat.

Many Yellowstone characters have direct parallels in Sons of Anarchy. Like SAMCRO, the Dutton family in Yellowstone operates as a self-governed empire. John Dutton (Kevin Costner) rules the ranch with the same brutal pragmatism Clay Morrow once used to run SAMCRO. Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly), much like Gemma Teller (Katey Sagal), is a fiercely loyal woman willing to wage psychological warfare to protect the people she loves. Even Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) shares DNA with characters like Opie (Ryan Hurst) – a loyal soldier torn apart by trauma and duty.

Taylor Sheridan’s Western shows thrive on the same dramatic tension that powered Sons of Anarchy: the cost of power, the fragility of family, and the violence that legacy demands. While Yellowstone trades Harleys for horses, its soul echoes Charming just as much as it does the Old West. Sheridan may have moved on from playing David Hale, but the lessons he learned in SAMCRO’s world in Sons of Anarchy still ride strong in every saddle and shootout he writes today.