Taylor Sheridan’s Darkest Crime Series Is Coming to Netflix — and It Could Be the First of Many

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The word "exclusive" is becoming a thing of the past when it comes to streaming. A few years ago, there was a mad dash from new streaming services to try and put out as many high-quality original shows and movies as possible, spending absurd amounts of money in order to build a better library than the competition. As we now know, that wasn't a sustainable option. Streamers have bled money on many of these originals and, in recent years, have been taking to licensing their titles out to rivals to boost revenue. Now, the Paramount+ service is embarking on perhaps one of the most surprising (and potentially lucrative) licensing deals to-date. Taylor Sheridan, Paramount's golden goose, is about to get a Netflix boost.

Netflix announced in its recent quarterly earnings letter that it had acquired licenses for several Paramount properties, including CBS shows like Watson and SEAL Team. The biggest name mentioned as a part of this deal, however, was the Sheridan series Mayor of Kingstown. The Jeremy Renner-starring drama has been a big hit for Paramount+ over the years and has already been renewed for a fifth and final season. It has only been available on Paramount+ to this point, along with almost every other Sheridan project, but will soon join Netflix where it has the opportunity to reach an even larger audience.

Taylor Sheridan Shows on Netflix Is a Big Deal

One of the biggest selling points for Paramount+ as an entire service has been the draw of Sheridan's ever-growing library. Ever since his initial TV creation, Yellowstone, became a record-breaking hit, Paramount has leaned heavily on the filmmaker to produce its biggest originals. Remember, while Yellowstone aired on the Paramount Network cable TV channel, it has been streaming exclusively on Peacock. Paramount struck a deal with Peacock to exclusively license Yellowstone before it was a mega-hit, and the company clearly learned its lesson. Everything else Sheridan has done — from Mayor of Kingstown to Landman to Yellowstone off-shoots like 1883 — has been released exclusively on Paramount+.

With this Netflix deal, the door is open for Sheridan titles to be licensed out to other streaming services. On one hand, this feels like a smart financial decision by Paramount, as it will now get money from its streaming rivals to house titles that have already been produced and made available on Paramount+. Extra money could only be a good thing, right?

On the other hand, this could ultimately hurt Paramount+ in the long run. Streaming has continued to get more expensive, and customers are constantly thinking about what they could stand to cancel to save a little month-to-month. If you have Paramount+ for Sheridan shows, but use Netflix for almost everything else, this kind of move could incentivize you to drop the former. Once you see Mayor of Kingstown show up on Netflix, it's clear that other Paramount+ shows could pop up on the service as well. Sure, you may not get brand-new episodes of those shows appearing on Netflix right away, but the wait might be worth the $15-ish you'd be saving each month by having one less streaming service.

What Does This Mean for the Future of Sheridan's Paramount+ Shows?

While Taylor Sheridan has been a big winner for Paramount to this point, his time with the company is coming to an end. Last year, Sheridan signed a huge deal with NBCUniversal, which will see him produce new shows and movies for the likes of NBC, Universal, Peacock, and/or USA Network. Obviously, any titles already set up at Paramount+ will continue there, but that's where this Mayor of Kingstown situation makes you scratch your head a bit.

Mayor of Kingstown is ending with its fifth season, which was reportedly not a decision that Sheridan or series creator/showrunner Hugh Dillon had in mind. There were longer plans in place for the series (though five seasons is definitely nothing to scoff at in the streaming era). This licensing deal with Netflix could indicate that Paramount has plans to ax more shows and then send them to rival streamers. The timing of the Mayor of Kingstown ending announcement is also worth thinking twice about, as it came after Sheridan signed his new deal with NBCUniversal. He's leaving Paramount, and the studio has seemingly responded by bringing the hammer down on his most prominent, non-Yellowstone series.

The fates of several other Sheridan shows are still up in the air right now, and it would be surprising to see every one of them canceled in the wake of the creator's exit. Marshals is about to get going at CBS, Landman appears to be a runaway streaming hit, and there is still some kind of Yellowstone sequel on the horizon. What we do know, however, is that Netflix is about to gain access to Mayor of Kingstown, and that could be the start of an important streaming partnership that everyone will be monitoring closely.

Mayor of Kingstown is now streaming on Netflix — and Paramount+.