Before Taylor Sheridan was building the Yellowstone universe, writing Sicario and becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest names, he was… getting tased by Veronica Mars.
Yes, really.
The Taylor Sheridan You Forgot About
Sheridan landed his first recurring TV role on Veronica Mars, playing Danny Boyd, a member of the Fitzpatrick crime family, across five episodes between 2005 and 2007.
And this wasn’t exactly a preview of the brooding cowboy roles he’d eventually become known for. Danny was, to put it kindly, an absolute dimwit.
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His first appearance came in Season 2’s “Ahoy Mateys,” when Veronica investigates a shady plastic surgeon and ends up at the River Stix, the Fitzpatricks’ bar and unofficial headquarters.
Danny’s introduction is… something. He shows Veronica a patch of dried blood on the pool table and generally behaves like the least intimidating member of an Irish crime family ever put on television.
Then things get worse.
When Fitzpatrick family boss Liam confronts Veronica, Danny doesn’t exactly prove himself to be the muscle of the operation. Veronica eventually takes him down with a taser, perfectly establishing Danny as the clod he would be throughout the series.
He Actually Stuck Around
Sheridan’s Danny wasn’t just a one-episode curiosity.
He returned for four more episodes across Seasons 2 and 3, becoming involved in Veronica’s investigation into plastic surgeon Thomas Griffith, who was preparing to testify against Logan Echolls in a murder case.
His final appearance came in Season 3’s “Debasement Tapes,” where he briefly returned alongside Paul Rudd, who played washed-up rock star Desmond Fellows.
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Soon after, Sheridan moved on to Sons of Anarchy, appearing in 21 episodes between 2008 and 2010. And that’s when his career started taking a very different path.
From Getting Tased to Yellowstone
Sheridan eventually left Sons of Anarchy after a dispute over his pay and pivoted toward writing.
He went on to write Sicario, launching the next phase of a career that would eventually make him one of Hollywood’s most prolific writers and lead to Yellowstone and its sprawling TV universe.
And while Sheridan has said he eventually “couldn’t stand acting,” he clearly hasn’t sworn off appearing in his own shows.
He played Travis Wheatley on Yellowstone, returned for 1883, and plays Cody Spears on Lioness.
So the next time you see Taylor Sheridan on horseback, barking orders and looking like he owns half of Montana, just remember: This guy used to get casually dropped by Veronica Mars with a taser.
Taylor Sheridan’s TV Shows, Ranked
Taylor Sheridan has become one of the most in-demand writers and directors in the world! Read on to see his best and worst television projects, ranked.
Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker