Sons of Anarchy and Yellowstone Have a Secret Connection That You Never Realized

Yellowstone stands out like a sore thumb in the current era of television. It doesn’t feature superheroes or take place in a fantasy world, focusing on a family in Montana who fights corporations and shady individuals to protect their land. The Duttons don’t do things by the book, though, with Rip Wheeler and other cowboys on the ranch taking extreme measures to make sure they still have a place to work. In fact, the cowboys act a lot like a gang, which isn’t all that surprising, given that Yellowstone has a massive connection to another show that puts seedy characters in the spotlight, Sons of Anarchy.

Sons of Anarchy, which aired for seven seasons on FX, concluded four years before Yellowstone dropped its first episode on the Paramount Network. However, the time between the two shows allowed one person to intertwine them.

Yellowstone and Sons of Anarchy Cover Similar Ground

At first glance, it’s easy to see the surface-level similarities between Yellowstone and Sons of Anarchy. Both deal with tight-knit groups facing threats at every turn and working outside the law to achieve their goals. That doesn’t mean everyone is a bad guy, though. Sons of Anarchy has Jax Teller, who gains control of his father’s motorcycle club and wants to clean it up to make his family proud. He’s a lot like Yellowstone‘s Kayce Dutton, who runs from his father’s dreams for him for many years and starts a family of his own because he doesn’t like the way he does things.

The influence Tig Trager has on a character like Rip Wheeler is also pretty apparent. Tig does all the dirty work for Clay Teller’s club in Sons of Anarchy, which includes killing people. However, as the seasons go on, he starts to let the guilt get to him, and he turns over a new leaf. Rip has a similar arc, with him starting out as nothing but John Dutton’s enforcer before learning that family is more important than land.

Bringing similar characters to life isn’t the only thing connecting Yellowstone to Sons of Anarchy, however. There’s actually an actor who plays major roles in both shows and is responsible for bringing the Kevin Costner-led series to life.

[RELATED – 10 Best Peacock Shows to Binge Right Now]

Taylor Sheridan Went From Sons of Anarchy Star to Yellowstone Creator

Biker gangs in Sons of Anarchy can’t go unchecked, so cops like to keep an eye on them. The Charming Police Department plays a major role in the FX series, and its most upstanding officer is David Hale, played by Taylor Sheridan. Hale always tries to do the right thing, earning him the nickname “Captain America.” Sadly, he dies in the Season 3 premiere while trying to stop a group of shooters from firing into a crowd. But Sheridan never forgot about his time on Sons of Anarchy, using it as an influence when he created Yellowstone.

Sheridan even wrote a role for himself in Yellowstone, playing horse trader Travis Wheatly, who shows up on the Dutton’s ranch from time to time and kicks it with the cowboys. After Costner exited the series in Season 5, Wheatly got an even more prominent role, helping Beth Dutton sell off some horses to make enough money to save the ranch. There were some complaints from fans about how much screentime Sheridan was getting, especially after his feud with Costner went public, but it’s hard to blame the guy for wanting to play around in a world he created.

Like the series that gave him his big break, Sheridan didn’t stop at one show, creating 1883 and 1923 for Paramount, following different generations of the Duttons as they settle on the land that the modern family lives on. There are also sequel series in the works, including one focusing on Kayce as he tries to defend Montana from evildoers, which will likely follow in the footsteps of the Sons of Anarchy, Mayans M.C., and give the spotlight to a group of characters who didn’t get enough time to shine in the flagship show.

Yellowstone is streaming on Peacock, and Sons of Anarchy is available to watch on Hulu.

Did you know about the connection between Sons of Anarchy and Yellowstone? Which show do you think is better? Let us know in the comments below!