In the world of television, there are very few creators who can outmatch Taylor Sheridan. Thanks to the success of Yellowstone, Sheridan has built a veritable empire of TV shows for Paramount. He’s also assembled a collection of talented actors to star in them, including Kevin Costner, Sylvester Stallone, and Harrison Ford. Long before he climbed to the top of the Paramount mountain, Sheridan accumulated a collection of supporting roles on various television shows. One of those series was a popular 2000’s-era neo-noir series, and it features Sheridan playing a character that’s the complete opposite of the rugged, salt-of-the-earth cowboy types he often writes about or portrays in his current shows.
That series is none other than Veronica Mars. The Rob Thomas-created series stars Kristen Bell as the titular private eye, who juggles solving crimes in her hometown of Neptune with completing high school. Equal parts dark and witty, Veronica Mars was a major success during its original run, outlasting the end of its parent network, UPN, and even returning for both a movie and a revival series. It also featured a number of iconic guest stars during that run, including Tessa Thompson and Amanda Seyfried. That raises the question:What exactly is Taylor Sheridan’s role in Veronica Mars?
Taylor Sheridan Is Utterly Unrecognizable in ‘Veronica Mars’
Taylor Sheridan makes his first appearance in Veronica Mars during the Season 2 episode “Ahoy Mateys” as Danny Boyd, the cousin of criminal Liam Fitzpatrick (Rodney Rowland). Veronica first encounters Danny when she’s investigating a mystery involving a school bus that plunged into the Pacific Ocean. Danny isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, as he unwittingly shows Veronica around his cousin’s headquarters and winds up being taken down by her signature taser shortly after. It’s a far cry from Sheridan’s clean-cut role as David Hale in Sons of Anarchy, but it showcases that the man has some serious range.
Danny would wind up playing a key role in Season 2 of Veronica Mars, since he has a connection to a plastic surgeon whom Veronica suspects is involved in the bus crash. Said surgeon almost put Veronica’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) behind bars, making Danny’s help all the more necessary. Sheridan would reprise his role in two more episodes of Season 3, though his last appearance in the episode “Debasement Tapes” was overshadowed by none other than Paul Rudd. Despite a brief run, Sheridan managed to be one of Veronica Mars’ most memorable guest stars.
