Landman is an American neo-Western drama television series created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, inspired by the podcast series Boomtown hosted by Wallace. Starring Billy Bob Thornton as a landman for an oil company, the show premiered on November 17, 2024, on Paramount+.
In March 2025, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on November 16, 2025.
Synopsis
Landman is set within the world of oilfields in West Texas, where "roughnecks and wildcat billionaires are fueling a boom so big it's reshaping our climate, our economy, and our geopolitics."[1] The lead character, Tommy Norris, can be abrasive, as is the out-of-town lawyer investigating a fatal accident early in the season.[2]
Cast
Main
- Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris, a combination of a petroleum Landman and an Operations VP at M-Tex Oil, later President.
- Demi Moore as Cami Miller.
- Ali Larter as Angela Norris, Tommy's ex-wife, and Cooper and Ainsley's mother.
- Jacob Lofland as Cooper Norris, Tommy and Angela's son, and Ainsley's brother who works for his dad as a roustabout.
- Michelle Randolph as Ainsley Norris, Tommy and Angela's strong-willed daughter, and Cooper's sister.
- Paulina Chavez as Ariana Medina, Elvio's widowed wife and Cooper's love interest[3]
- Kayla Wallace as Rebecca Falcone, a causation lawyer.
- Mark Collie as Sheriff Walt Joeberg
- James Jordan as Dale Bradley, a petroleum engineer.
- Jon Hamm as Monty Miller (season 1), the owner of M-Tex with a long personal and professional relationship with Tommy[4]
- Andy Garcia as Gallino (season 2; guest season 1)
- Sam Elliott as T.L. Norris, Tommy's father (season 2)[5]
Recurring
- Colm Feore as Nathan, an oil company attorney and administrator.
- Alex Meraz as Jimenez (season 1), lieutenant of the local Midland drug network, part of the international Galino drug cartel
- Mustafa Speaks as Theodore "Boss" Ramone, the lead oil crewman on Cooper's second crew
- Stefania Spampinato (season 2)[6]
Guest
- Michael Peña as Armando Medina, a lead oil crewman who is training Cooper
- Emilio Rivera as Luis Medina, an oil crewman, and Armando's and Elvio's uncle
- Alejandro Akara as Elvio Medina, an oil crewman, Ariana's deceased husband, Luis's nephew, and Armando's younger brother
- Robyn Lively as Ellie, a waitress at the Patch Cafe
- Bart Johnson as Patrick Ramsey
- Octavio Rodriguez as Antonio, a member of Boss's oil crew and a cousin of Armando, Luis, and Elvio
- J. R. Villarreal as Manuel Lopez, another member of Boss's oil crew and cousin of Armando, Luis, and Elvio
- Mitchell Slaggert as Ryder Sampson, Ainsley's new boyfriend
- Marco Perella as Hank, a resident in a senior citizen home
- Gail Cronauer as Beverly, a resident in a senior citizen home
- Maxwell Caulfield as Governor of Texas
- Ben Browder as Colonel Ivey of the Texas National Guard
- Jerry Jones as himself
- Tim DeZarn as Perry Hardin, a small parcel landholder with a dry oil well on his property
- Matt Peters as Mel, a strip club owner
- Michael Tow as Dr. Michaels, Monty's cardiac surgeon
- Jim Meskimen as Alan, Monty's personal lawyer
Episodes
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 10 | November 17, 2024 | January 12, 2025 | |
| 2 | 10[7] | November 16, 2025 | January 18, 2026[8] | |
Season 1 (2024–25)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [7] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Landman" | Taylor Sheridan | Taylor Sheridan | November 17, 2024 | |
|
Tommy Norris, a landman, negotiates on behalf of M-Tex the land lease of
a large oil field in West Texas with a Mexican cartel. Six months
later, a drug drop in a deserted road built and owned by the company
ends disastrously, when an oil rig barrels through the scene. Everyone
is killed and Norris is sent investigating. The situation is critical,
since a plane stolen from M-Tex was involved in the crash, and sheriff
Joeberg complains that the police were not alerted. Norris arranges for
Joeberg to put in his report that the police was already aware of the
plane theft. Meanwhile, Norris' son Cooper starts his first day on field
for M-Tex, in the same field directed by Norris, and is assigned to a
crew. He endures rough hazing from them, but after a joke goes too far
and injures Cooper, the crew ease up. It is revealed that Norris has
asked the oldest member to look after Cooper. Norris' ex-wife Angela
calls him informing that she is going on vacation with her new husband
and doesn't trust their teenager daughter Ainsley to stay at home alone
with her boyfriend, so she is being sent to him. When she arrives with
her boyfriend, the three go to a football game, where Ainsley informs
Tommy that she is applying to Alabama University following her
boyfriend's scholarship. That evening, however, hints reveal the
boyfriend does not reciprocate her sincere feelings, and she cries on
Tommy's shoulder. The next morning, Cooper's crew is sent to work on an
oil pump, but the job ends disastrously when the pipe blows up. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Dreamers and Losers" | Taylor Sheridan | Taylor Sheridan | November 17, 2024 | |
| 3 | 3 | "Hell Has a Front Yard" | Stephen Kay | Taylor Sheridan | November 24, 2024 | |
| 4 | 4 | "The Sting of Second Chances" | Stephen Kay | Taylor Sheridan | December 1, 2024 | |
| 5 | 5 | "Where Is Home" | Stephen Kay | Taylor Sheridan | December 8, 2024 | |
| 6 | 6 | "Beware the Second Beating" | Michael Friedman | Taylor Sheridan | December 15, 2024 | |
| 7 | 7 | "All Roads Lead to a Hole" | Michael Friedman | Taylor Sheridan | December 22, 2024 | |
| 8 | 8 | "Clumsy, This Life" | Stephen Kay | Taylor Sheridan | December 29, 2024 | |
| 9 | 9 | "WolfCamp" | Stephen Kay | Taylor Sheridan | January 5, 2025 | |
| 10 | 10 | "The Crumbs of Hope" | Stephen Kay | Taylor Sheridan | January 12, 2025 | |
Season 2 (2025)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [8] | Directed by | Written by [9] | Original release date [8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Death and a Sunset" | Stephen Kay | Taylor Sheridan | November 16, 2025 |
| 12 | 2 | "Sins of the Father" | TBA | Taylor Sheridan | November 23, 2025 |
| 13 | 3 | "Almost a Home" | TBA | Taylor Sheridan | November 30, 2025 |
| 14 | 4 | "Dancing Rainbows" | TBA | Taylor Sheridan | December 7, 2025 |
| 15 | 5 | "The Pirate Dinner" | TBA | Taylor Sheridan | December 14, 2025 |
| 16 | 6 | "Dark Night of the Soul" | TBA | Taylor Sheridan | December 21, 2025 |
| 17 | 7 | "Forever Is an Instant" | TBA | Taylor Sheridan | December 28, 2025 |
| 18 | 8 | "Handsome Touched Me" | TBA | Taylor Sheridan | January 4, 2026 |
| 19 | 9 | "Plans, Tears and Sirens" | TBA | Taylor Sheridan | January 11, 2026 |
| 20 | 10 | "Tragedy and Flies" | TBA | Taylor Sheridan | January 18, 2026 |
Production
Development
In February 2022, Paramount+ ordered a television series inspired by the podcast Boomtown titled Landman from screenwriter Taylor Sheridan. Billy Bob Thornton stars in the series.[10][11] In May 2023, Jacob Lofland, Ali Larter, and Michelle Randolph joined the series.[12] In January 2024, Kayla Wallace, James Jordan, Mark Collie, and Paulina Chávez joined the series as series regulars.[13] In February 2024, it was reported that Jon Hamm joined the series.[14] In April 2024, it was reported that Octavio Rodriguez and J. R. Villarreal joined the series as recurring characters.[15]
In May 2024, it was confirmed by Demi Moore that a second season was planned, with production set to commence in early 2025.[16] In March 2025, Paramount+ renewed the series for a second season.[17]
In April 2025, it was announced that Sam Elliott joined the cast as a series regular for the second season.[5] In June 2025, it was reported that Stefania Spampinato was cast in a recurring role for the second season.[6]
Filming
Filming started in and around Fort Worth, Texas, in February 2024 and concluded in June 2024.[18][failed verification] Filming locations included the headquarters of the American Association of Professional Landmen, the national association that represents land professionals, as well as the Fort Worth Petroleum Club, Rivercrest Country Club, and Texas Christian University. Filming for the second season started in April 2025.[19]
Music
Andrew Lockington who worked in Mayor of Kingstown & Lioness, has composed the music for the series, marking his third collaboration with the series' creator. UMG Nashville has released the series' soundtrack.
Release
The first season launched with two episodes on Paramount+ on November 17, 2024. Subsequent episodes of the 10-episode first season were available weekly on Sundays through January 12, 2025.[20][21] The second season premiered on November 16, 2025.[22]
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 78% based on 37 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Landman plumbs much of the same territory as other Taylor Sheridan–penned series, but having Billy Bob Thornton on hand turns this Texas crude into highly watchable fuel."[23] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 60 out of 100 based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[24]
The second season has a 78% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 9 critic reviews.[8]
Criticism
Dialogues that included a narrative about renewable energy have been criticized.[25][26] Norris makes a rant about wind turbine, claiming that the amount of steel, oil and concrete needed to construct a wind turbine produces such a high carbon footprint, that it will not offset the costs in its 20-year lifespan. This led many right-leaning users (including fossil fuel advocates, oil executives and a US senator) on social media to repost the clip.[27][25] However, the scientific accuracy of such claims has been disproven.[26] [unreliable source?]
On June 23, 2025, Paulynne, Inc., which owns and controls all of famed broadcaster Paul Harvey's intellectual property, sued Paramount Global in New York federal court. The company sued Paramount for using a 90 second audio clip from The Rest of the Story in the Paramount+ TV show Landman without permission. Paramount used a segment about rising gas prices from Harvey's 2009 "Gas Crisis" episode in the opening of Landman's Season 1 finale. The lawsuit accused Paramount of failing to obtain permission to use the clip as well as editing the clip to change Harvey's viewpoint with regard to government fossil-fuel policies and his interest in alternative fuels.[28]
The program has also been criticized for presenting female characters as caricatures and negative stereotypes of women.[29][30]
Accolades
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Satellite Awards | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Billy Bob Thornton | Nominated | [31] |
| 2025 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Nominated | [32] | |
| 2025 | Location Managers Guild Awards | Outstanding Locations in Contemporary Television | Dustin Daniels, Stuart Berberich | Nominated | [33] |
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