Cigarettes and Dr. Pepper pairs together like spaghetti and meatballs for the harrowing protagonist of Taylor Sheridan’s latest gold mine of a television series. Academy Award winner Billy Bob Thornton owns the title role, and he’s the latest A-list movie star to lead a small-screen project with more-than-satisfying results. Don’t the simplistic title or “wannabe-Yellowstone” vibes of the promotional trailers fool you: Landman — based on the acclaimed podcast Boomtown by Christian Wallace — is a landmark in its own right. The new Paramount+ show has genuinely gripping plot developments throughout, frequent splashes of vintage Thornton-style humor, and equally consistent and insightful glimpses into the West Texas oil industry scene and its effects on the world.
This is a present-day tale that connects the Western genre, cowboy hats and all, with comedy, thriller, and drama vibes, and just one episode will leave you itching for more. Sheridan knows how to pull you in, give you breathers in between remarkable surprises in dramatic twists, and set you up for the next episode. And as the acclaimed second season of Sheridan’s Lioness marches on, let’s not be shocked about a second season of Landman down the line.
Billy Bob Thornton Becomes Your Next Favorite Antihero
There are times when actors take heat for playing the same type of persona over and over again. But when it works, it works, usually because an actor is so perfectly themself. Thornton obviously has range, from Fargo to Sling Blade, which certainly proves he doesn’t just have to play the foul-mouthed, cynical antihero. But Sheridan knew that archetype was perfect for his new series, and wrote the lead character with the actor in mind. Landman is most certainly TV-MA thanks to a certain four-letter word uttered relentlessly by its lead character Tommy Norris, a role Thornton was simply born to play. It’s a lovely blend of his comedic charm and his proven knack for dramatic tension.
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“Landman” liaison Tommy navigates the tricky and outright dangerous West Texas oil scene, including his overbearing exec boss, Monty (Jon Hamm), who’s often busy taking heated business calls in the middle of family time with bougie wife Cami (Demi Moore). Then there are Tommy’s downstairs dealings, which he struggles to orchestrate alongside housemate-colleagues Nathan (Colm Feore) and roughneck Dale (Sheridan-regular James Jordan).
Tommy, Nathan, and Dale try to operate without infuriating the local sheriff (Mark Collie), who must involve himself anytime something goes awry down at the rigs. That’s where Tommy’s ambitious adult son Cooper (Jacob Lofland) has taken up work, despite his elders’ nagging to use his college-educated brain for a less lethal occupation. But Cooper sticks with it at the rigs and receives tough-love guidance from seasoned veterans like Armando (Michael Peña) to operate the heavy-duty machinery so he doesn’t run the risk of, well, blowing himself up.
The Many Troubles of Landman Tommy Norris
Tommy is a chain-smoking alcoholic who spends his days hauling his pickup from one profane business meeting to the next. He’s also dealing with the shards of the shattered family that he and wildcard ex-wife Angela (Ali Larter) started once upon a time. They live apart, but not too far apart, with son Cooper and carefree 17-year-old daughter Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) in the general vicinity, causing their own brands of mayhem to keep the friendly exes on their toes at any given moment.
Yes, the perpetually embattled dad and businessman has quite a bit to juggle every single day, and the icing on the cake comes in the form of a newly arrived lawyer in town named Rebecca (Kayla Wallace), sent from the upstairs powers-that-be to investigate and cover the oil titans’ tracks regarding a recent catastrophe at one of the rigs. Add her to the list of partners Tommy must now waltz with to ensure his company isn’t sued into submission and that his employees still feel protected by their distant employer. It’s a constant migraine for “landman” Tommy, someone whose rear is on the line 24/7, 365.
Jon Hamm & Demi Moore Are Mostly Wasted in the Very Authentic New Sheridan Show
Tommy’s constant small battles is one reason we grow to love him across the spread of Season 1. Actually, Sheridan’s knack for weaving comedy into his dramatic works (also looking at you, Tulsa King) means Tommy dishes endless, hard R-rated one-liners that will leave you hollering out loud at your TV. To that end, it actually might only take the first episode for you to fall head over heels for Sheridan’s deliciously foul protagonist/antihero. Tommy even teaches you a thing or two about the oil biz through his wise-guy voiceover narrations on occasion.
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We can mostly forgive the voiceovers and their excessive “tell, don’t show” exposition since, well, it’s Mr. Thornton delivering them with that characteristic cynicism that parallels the mood of all those tied to his industry. It’s too bad fellow A-listers Jon Hamm and Demi Moore can’t offer the same sort of darkly charming edge, though they have some moments to shine as the oil industry’s power couple watching the underlings work their magic and make them billions.
Besides Thornton’s scene-stealing charisma, Landman also thrives off its authentic, immersive nature during those epic scenes down at the rigs — and green screens be damned. As confirmed in our recent interviews with the cast, those are real explosions and authentic machines the stars are operating throughout Season 1, thereby enriching the feel of the show. Even if it seems to somewhat exist in the massive shadow cast by Yellowstone, Landman offers a fresh new angle for Sheridan to continue exploring in the American South. From MTV Entertainment Studios, Landman will begin streaming exclusively on Paramount+ November 17. Stream through the link below:
Watch Landman
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