You’ve seen the trailers. The dust, the derricks, the gravelly voice of a man who looks like he’s survived on a diet of black coffee and sheer spite. That’s Tommy Norris. Or, well, that’s Billy Bob Thornton doing what he does best.
When Landman first dropped on Paramount+, people expected Yellowstone with oil. That's kinda true, but also a total lie. It’s grittier. It’s sweatier. Honestly, it feels less like a soap opera and more like a fever dream about the American Dream dying in a Midland, Texas, parking lot.
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Taylor Sheridan didn’t just pull this out of his hat. The show is basically a live-action adaptation of the Boomtown podcast. If you haven't heard it, it’s a deep dive into the Permian Basin where billions of dollars are made by people who look like they haven’t showered in three weeks.
The Tommy Norris Factor
Billy Bob Thornton plays Tommy. He’s a "landman."
What does that actually mean? Basically, he’s the middleman between the billionaires in the glass towers and the roughnecks who actually get their hands dirty. He’s a fixer. He’s also half a million dollars in debt, divorced, and probably one bad day away from a heart attack.
Thornton brings a weird, magnetic exhaustion to the role. He isn't some invincible hero. In Season 1, he’s getting tortured by cartels; by Season 2, he’s trying to manage a promotion to President of M-Tex Oil while his personal life is a total dumpster fire.
Why the Cast Works (and Why Fans Are Mad)
The cast is stacked. You’ve got Jon Hamm as Monty Miller, the billionaire wildcatter who treats the Texas landscape like his personal Monopoly board. Then there’s Demi Moore as Cami Miller. She’s the power behind the throne, especially after the Season 1 finale leaves a massive power vacuum.
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But here’s the thing.
The internet is currently having a meltdown over the female characters. Ali Larter (Angela) and Michelle Randolph (Ainsley) get a lot of heat. Fans on Reddit call them "entitled imbeciles." It’s harsh. The show paints them as the extreme end of "new money" vapidity, which is a choice that has polarized the audience.
Realism vs. TV Magic
Is it accurate? Sorta.
Christian Wallace, the guy behind the original podcast, is a co-creator. He actually worked as a roughneck. He knows how the trucks park and how the coffee tastes.
- The Coffee Shops: Those bikini-clad baristas? Real. They’re based on places like Boomtown Babes in Odessa.
- The Danger: Rig explosions and equipment theft are actual hazards in the Permian.
- The Cartels: This is where Sheridan stretches the truth. While crime exists, the high-stakes "war" between M-Tex and a Mexican drug cartel is mostly for the cameras.
The show is filmed mostly around Fort Worth. Even though it's set in Midland and Odessa, Sheridan uses his own SGS Studios and local landmarks like Sundance Square and the Stockyards to recreate that West Texas vibe. He even bought the Cattleman’s Steak House in real life. Talk about commitment.
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Season 2 and the Sam Elliott Effect
If Season 1 was a slow burn, Season 2 is a wildfire. It premiered in November 2025 and immediately broke records—9 million viewers in the first weekend.
Then came the Sam Elliott reveal.
Billy Bob Thornton actually told reporters he cried when he found out Sam Elliott was joining the cast as his father, TL. Having Sam Elliott on a Taylor Sheridan show is like putting a cherry on top of a very expensive, dusty sundae. He brings a level of gravitas that actually helps ground the more "extra" parts of the Norris family drama.
The Controversy
Not everyone is happy. The audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes took a massive dip in early 2026. Why? People are tired of the "character filler."
There was a whole subplot in Season 2 involving Ainsley and a non-binary roommate named Paigyn that felt like it was designed just to trigger Twitter arguments. Some critics called it "juvenile provocation." It’s that classic Sheridan move: he’s great at the big, sweeping industry drama, but sometimes he trips over his own feet when trying to write "modern" social commentary.
What’s Coming Next?
The good news is that Landman isn't going anywhere. Paramount+ renewed it for Season 3 in December 2025.
Filming is supposed to kick off in Spring 2026. Thornton is locked in for several years, so we’re going to be seeing a lot more of Tommy Norris’s cigarettes-and-Dr-Pepper lifestyle.
If you’re looking to get into the show or you’re already caught up, here is what you actually need to do to appreciate the "Landman" world:
- Listen to the Boomtown Podcast: It’ll give you the context that the show skips. You’ll understand why the land is so valuable and why the people are so desperate.
- Watch for the Background Details: The way the workers park their trucks—backing in—is a real safety protocol in the oil fields. It’s those tiny touches that make the show feel authentic despite the Hollywood gloss.
- Check Out the Filming Spots: If you’re ever in Fort Worth, grab a drink at the Hotel Drover or a steak at Cattleman’s. It’s the closest you’ll get to the M-Tex boardroom without having to deal with a cartel.
The show is a mess sometimes, sure. It’s loud, it’s often politically incorrect, and it spends a lot of time on people who are hard to like. But as long as Billy Bob Thornton is at the center of the storm, it’s impossible to look away.