Taylor Sheridan is one of the most prolific writers working in film and television today, with shows such as “Tulsa King,” “Landman,” “Lioness,” and “Mayor of Kingstown” becoming hits on the small screen. His projects tend to be action-packed and full of drama, and they attract A-list names like Kevin Costner, Billy Bob Thornton, and Zoe Saldana. However, “Yellowstone” is his prize horse, and it’s spawned a successful franchise that includes spin-offs like “1883” and “1923,” with more on the way.

Sheridan deserves plenty of credit for his success, and the fact he’s such a highly sought-after writer proves that he has talent. That said, there are lines of dialogue on “Yellowstone” that are straight-up cringe-inducing, albeit in a way that’s quite entertaining and adds to the series’ trashy, soap opera-esque qualities. Keeping that in mind, let’s reminisce about some of the worst lines to make it from the script to the screen in the hit neo-Western series.

Season 2’s “Resurrection Day” contains some of “Yellowstone’s” wildest moments, including the scene where Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) tells Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) about the time he blew all of his money on gravestones and having his father’s bones dug up so he could throw them out of a car window. However, the episode also features some cringeworthy words of wisdom from family patriarch John Dutton (Kevin Costner), whose philosophical monologues are more comedic than enlightening.

In this one, Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) is feeling borderline suicidal and wracked with guilt after betraying his family and murdering a journalist he spilled some dirt to. This prompts a conversation with John, who says to his adopted son, “Your grandfather used to say you can’t fix a broken wagon wheel, but you can use the parts to make a new one.” Cue an emotional musical score and powerful heart-to-heart between the father and son. 

Granted, John’s advice promotes the idea that people can get their lives back on track after experiencing setbacks, and that’s something we can all learn from. Still, the corny wagon metaphor proves that “Yellowstone” really is a cowboy soap opera sometimes.

Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) will stop at nothing to save her family’s land from corporate predators on “Yellowstone.” That said, she’s also an influential person and a dastardly schemer in the corporate sector, and she puts her skills to good use in the family’s fight against Market Equities in season 5.

In the episode “Tall Drink of Water,” Beth heads to Salt Lake City and gives her controlling interests in Schwartz & Meyer to another powerful firm. In return, she asks for some real estate, which the company’s figureheads believe is too good to be true. They opine that there’s a rattlesnake in the deal, to which Beth responds, “I am the rattlesnake, but you’re not the one I’m going to bite.”

Beth is arguably the human equivalent of a rattlesnake at times, as her mean-spirited diatribes toward her enemies (and family) can be venomous. Conversely, lines like this make the character sound like a parody of herself, and this is far from the only moment she comes across as such.

Beth Dutton hates Jamie on “Yellowstone,” and it goes all the way back to their teenage years. However, her dislike of her brother intensifies as the seasons progress, especially after he shows disloyalty to their father. There are many scenes throughout the show dedicated to Beth berating her adopted sibling, but this one stands out from the pack.

The moment occurs during a heated exchange in Jamie’s office. Basically, Beth wants Jamie to remember that she owns him, as she has photographic evidence of him killing his biological father. She then tells her bro that she wants him home on the weekends, just so she can keep an eye on him, and demands that he respond with “Yes, ma’am.”

This sequence essentially turns the scene into a joke, as the dialogue exchange that leads up to Beth’s final command is rife with tension. Beth should have quit while she was ahead, but she couldn’t resist another opportunity to emasculate her brother. When he obeys her command, she says “Good boy” and leaves his office, which only adds more unintentional humor to an otherwise dramatic moment.

“Yellowstone” season 4 sees Jimmy Hurdstrom (Jefferson White) get relocated to the Four Sixes ranch as a punishment for being an accident-prone rodeo enthusiast. It turns out to be a great experience, though, as he meets a girl and becomes a competent cowboy. After realizing he belongs in Texas, Jimmy opts to remain on the ranch, which leads to an emotional farewell with Rip Wheeler and the rest of the Yellowstone crew.

With “Yellowstone” being a secret soap opera and all, the farewell scene is overly dramatic and boasts some hilariously sentimental dialogue. In an effort to make the goodbye less sad, Rip tells the young ranch hand, “Jimmy, Cowboys don’t say goodbye. They say, see you later. Till we’re in that f***ing dirt.” Way to turn a nice moment into a morbidly cynical one, right?

In all fairness to Rip, the exchange isn’t their final one as Jimmy visits his old ranch buddies again in season 5, and their final goodbye is still some way off yet as neither man dies. At the same time, the line is even cheesier than the dialogue in Hallmark flicks, even if it’s a little more vulgar.

“Yellowstone” lost its way when John Dutton got into the world of politics, as the storyline failed to capitalize on all of the manoeuvring and backstabbing associated with making it into office (especially considering that his main opponent was his son). At the beginning of his campaign, he also gives a stirringly cringe-worthy speech about his ideology and plans.

During the speech, the Dutton patriarch says, “I am the opposite of progress. I am the wall that it bashes against, and I will not be the one who breaks.” This makes Beth Dutton’s over-the-top descriptions of herself sound mild in comparison, but at least we know who she inherited her extravagance from. Any man who compares himself to a brick wall has an ego, but John delivers the message with stone-faced bravado. 

Of course, he wasn’t lying about being the enemy of progress. The entire show is about John standing in the way of change in Montana, which ultimately leads to his unfortunate demise in season 5. Still, at least he went down fighting for his staunch beliefs.

Beth Dutton appears frequently on this list, but that’s only because she keeps using overblown metaphors to describe herself and her enemies. Another one of her cringiest masterworks occurs in “Yellowstone” season 3, when she compares herself to a natural disaster during a conversation with Market Equities representative Roarke Morris (Josh Holloway).

The scene in question is one of many moments in which Beth lets the Dutton family’s enemies know that they’re messing with the wrong person. In this instance, she says, “You are the trailer park, I am the tornado,” which is supposed to be an intimidating threat, but the line is comedic in its execution.

It’s another unnecessary line that feels like it was written for the sake of reminding everyone that Beth is witty and tough, even though the conversation that went down beforehand gets this sentiment across with more nuance and seriousness. Beth just can’t resist adding an exclamation point to every conversation she has, but in moments like this, she comes across as silly.

Jimmy Hurdstrom is one of the few supporting characters on “Yellowstone” who receives an actual arc. When we first meet him, he’s a petty criminal who becomes an incompetent cowboy after John Dutton gives him a job on the ranch. However, his stint on the Four Sixes in season 4 turns him into a good rancher, but his progress is undone thanks to Travis Wheatley (Taylor Sheridan).

Despite showcasing an admirable, life-changing, transformation, the season 5 finale sees Jimmy become the butt to Travis’ jokes. The cringiest moment occurs when Travis tells the rancher not to wear his seatbelt, saying, “Not you, Jimmy. No one gives a s*** if you live.” 

The scene is intended to be humorous, but it indicates that Sheridan and the show’s writers had run out of ideas for Jimmy at this point. Either that, or they were willing to diminish the character’s growth for the sake of giving Sheridan’s obnoxious cowboy some witty dialogue.

“Yellowstone” is often criticized for being a red state show, though its pro-environmental themes and commentary on the displacement of Native Americans suggest that its politics are more left-leaning. However, there’s one line from John Dutton about land ownership that could be interpreted as an endorsement of American isolationism or a satirical take on such subject matter.

The first season of “Yellowstone” sees John come into contact with some Asian tourists and accuse them of trespassing on his ranch. He brags about all of the land he owns before exclaiming, “This is America, we don’t share land here,” which comes across a jingoistic sentiment toward outside visitors. Maybe, though, this was Taylor Sheridan’s way of making fun of those who harbor such viewpoints.

Of course, John also wants the tourists off his land because a bear is on the loose, so maybe he was being offensive in an attempt to make them leave and find safety. Then again, John’s entire shtick is protecting his land from outsiders, so he probably meant his pro-American sentiment to some degree. Plus, his words are a reaction to one of the tourists saying they don’t believe he owns the land, which annoys him more than the big grizzly on the loose.

“Yellowstone’s” most unlikely romance involves the right-wing, meat-eating John Dutton shacking up with Summer Higgins (Piper Perabo), a vegan activist who falls for his cowboy charms. Beth Dutton isn’t happy about their relationship, though, and proceeds to insult Summer over her lifestyle choices during a dramatic conversation at the breakfast table.

That said, Summer doesn’t sit back and listen to Beth’s insults — she’s happy to argue back. Before they part ways, John’s lover tells his daughter that she hopes she finds a therapist who can help her. Beth responds by saying, “I hope you die of a** cancer,” which is mean-spirited, petty, and juvenile. Beth has a few quotes on this list, sure, but she’s usually more creative than this.

Unfortunately, John and Summer didn’t get to live happily ever after on “Yellowstone.” They shack up a few times, and Beth never warms to her dad’s squeeze, but they do gain some respect for each other following a fist fight.

“Yellowstone” season 5’s penultimate episode, “Give the World Away,” sees Beth Dutton forced to visit the Four Sixes ranch to enquire about the progress of a horse sale that will pocket a few million dollars for her family. It’s also the episode where Taylor Sheridan’s Travis Wheatley ruined “Yellowstone” by making the show all about him.

The purpose of this episode is to highlight Sheridan’s muscles and put across the message that his character is a lovable rogue. Travis spends most of his time playing strip poker and showing off his horse riding skills for his supermodel girlfriend played by Bella Hadid, who’s willing to look past his casual misogyny because he’s good with a horse. Beth reluctantly admits that she understands his appeal, and later on in the episode, she tells Travis, “You are such a f***ing a**hole, it is almost attractive.”

It’s a cringe-worthy line some naysayers have interpreted as a fourth-wall-breaking ego trip for Sheridan. What’s more, it’s one of the reasons why “Give the World Away” has been voted the worst “Yellowstone” episode on IMDb – and to think that Sheridan once vowed never to star in his own projects.