Taylor Sheridan's Fritos Commercial Channels Yellowstone With A Sam Elliott Twist

Thanks to offerings like "Yellowstone" and "Wind River," it's not hard to see that Taylor Sheridan is obsessed with Americana and has carved out a solid niche for himself as the savior of the modern-day Western. And, sometimes, that obsession means making advertisements for Fritos. The salty snack debuted in 1932 and has been a staple of the chips aisle ever since. 

Fritos are through-and-through an American product, created in Texas from an Oaxacan recipe. Now made by the massive food behemoth Frito-Lay, Fritos do have a distinctively American appeal, and Sheridan investigates that in his commercial for the product. Unsurprisingly, the advertisement is classic Sheridan, even including a voiceover from Sam Elliott, who appeared in the "Yellowstone" spin-off "1883." The ad kicks off with a shot of the Four Sixes Ranch, which "Yellowstone" has previously used as a filming location. Sheridan purchased the iconic Texas ranch in 2020 with a group of investors.

As the advertisement continues, Elliot kickstarts a monologue about how Fritos are culturally and historically tied to the American West while shots of cowboys meandering dominate the ad. Mostly consisting of what looks like "Yellowstone" b-roll, the ad eventually starts showing the various uses Fritos can have as an ingredient. Elliot then begins discussing the Fritos brand's origins, taking us back to 1932. The ad then ends with various modern-day cowboys enjoying meals elevated by Fritos in an outdoor tent.

In short: Taylor Sheridan's commercial for Fritos is pretty much perfect. From vague statements about how cowboys are fueled by salty corn chips to celebrating how the legacy of the fried snack is directly tied to the American identity, only an auteur like Sheridan could create such a roaring and self-assured commercial. It also helps that Sam Elliott was brought on board to give the ad just the extra little Sheridan edge. This, however, isn't the first time Sheridan has teamed up with the Frito-Lay corp. 

In Summer 2023, Sheridan's Paramount-backed franchise collaborated with the company to create a limited edition run of "Yellowstone"-inspired packaging. The iconic Fritos flavor remained the same, but the packaging of the limited edition products featured several cowboys. The collab was done to promote a contest where fans could win a trip to Montana. With the latest ad, Fritos and Sheridan are taking their creative relationship to the next level. 

With "Yellowstone" on track to wrap up, Sheridan is cooking up a sequel series, which is set to feature Matthew McConaughey in a lead role, as well as another prequel, "1944." And who knows, maybe we'll get more Sheridan x Frito collabs in the future? Or, perhaps, Sheridan could go through the Frito-Lay archives and find another snack, like Funyuns, to give the cowboy treatment?