Landman created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace is a 10 episode American drama based on the podcast Boomtown hosted by Wallace.
The television show premiered November 17, 2024, on Paramount Plus.
The cast is staring Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, Michelle Randolph, Kayla Wallace, Demi Moore, Paulina Chavez, Jon Hamm and Jacob Loftland.
The synopsis is Landman is set within the oilfields of the Permian Basin in West Texas, where “roughnecks and hotshot billionaires are fueling a boom that is too big for the ever changing world trying to advocate for less oil dependence and more for green initiatives, but instead it is reshaping the conversation on climate, economy, and our geopolitics. The lead character, Tommy Norris, which is played by Billy Bob Thornton is an abrasive cynical no nonsense workaholic, as is the out-of-town lawyer investigating a fatal accident early in the season is one of the protagonists that fuels Norris’s pro oil company narratives.
This is Taylor Sheridan’s second successful TV drama in recent times, if you remember the other show he created and wrote which is incorrectly labeled as a Western to which he is most known for is “Yellowstone”, which was also successful having gone on to produce five seasons and spinoffs of “1883” and “1923” to which he wrote and directed.” Taylor Sheridan’s other successful Television dramas were Tulsa King, and Mayor of Kingstown. Sheridan also had a few Films that were notable as a writer such as Sicario, Sicario Day of Soledad and Wind River in which he also wrote and directed.
While Landman has become successful with viewers in its first season, that doesn’t mean its deserving of high accolades, praise or for that matter an Emmy award that hits on all facets of what good production values is about when analyzing a Television drama. However after watching this particular series I came away with a few impressions that were both critical and insightful with unintended consequences. There are some praises but also some aspects of the overarching story theme that were a little over the top.
Starting with the lead character Tommy Norris is by default the crisis executive tasked to fix every problem while having the right ear of his boss named Monty (Jon Hamm) who is the owner of a fictional company called M-Tex Oil. Like many people who work in the Oil business in real life, Norris’s character is divorced, a chain smoking alcoholic and is drowning in debt, a character that is most relatable to viewers.
Then next is the ex-high maintenance wife who comes flying in on a private company jet carrying emotional and self-absorbed baggage who is married to excess and a millionaire who she never sees. She is very materialistic in every sense of the word, and is someone who manages to reconcile with Tommy using her charm as he reluctantly goes along with it.
Then there is Tommy’s daughter Aynsley who comes to live with him as well. She is scantily dressed around the house, and flaunting her sexuality with a certain level of naivety of how others may perceive her without the subtleties of being classy. Her boy crazed fixations that seem more of a reflection of being brought up in a dysfunctional family where such values are more in line with depravity and loose virtues, that try desperately to be normalized within this fictional drama.
Tommy Norris’s son, Cooper played by Jacob Loftland is a college dropout who decides to work the oil fields as a rookie grunt in order to learn more about the business who is also motivated by aspirations of owning an oil company of his own one day. Even though it’s against the wishes of his parents, he is determined, stubborn and even hardheaded enough not to listen to any advice to which he is learning lessons the hard way.
The big boss is Monty, the big oil Tycoon who is played by Jon Hamm in a rather reprises role of his “Madmen” advertising executive character but with a little more edge with blood dripping from his mouth. In his limited expose and story-line his character drops hints that he is dealing with a health issue due to the amount of stress that he is dealing with such as living in a high pressure cut throat deals to meet expectations and deadlines environment, while at the same time missing out on family functions or for that matter never being mentally present for the things that matter the most which is family.
One of the minor protagonist is the lawyer Rebecca Falcone, played by Kayla Wallace, enters the story early on to investigate a plane crash explosion under suspicious circumstances. Her character is rather one that is purposely setup to be made to look like the arrogant corporate killer litigator who is on the side of renewables, green energy with a bit of a snobbish attitude as she pretends to not be comfortable driving a Mercedes rental despite her appearance of wearing a corporate suit to which lends to the conflicting perception of the character itself.
There is a pretense about her as she interacts with Tommy who takes on a tone of condescension, as he reluctantly assists her by driving her to the accident site. While doing so, she remarks condescendingly how evil fossil fuels are bad for the planet and that all the oil rigs should be replaced with wind turbines as being a good thing until Tommy stops everything to explain to her that is not actually true that the carbon footprint of wind turbines is closer to zero as it is often by falsely portrayed by green energy advocates. As they both look out over the oil field pump jacks in the horizon he sets her straight about how the emissions caused by wind turbines, the manufacturing of them, transportation, construction, ongoing maintenance, and eventually the disposal of them are never reported or taken into account about how dependent the planet is on oil for everything.
Her character when playing the actual lawyer in a couple of scenes in a settlement case, has to assert herself by threatening her counterpart with legalese, to which the scenes are a half bit forced and even over the top when it comes to asserting herself with dramatic tension.
When looking at the show in a more broader view and making comparisons to what real life oil field workers had to say about Landman’s portrayal of the industry, the impressions to take away is usually with mixed results. On one hand its expected that such Television Hollywood productions will take creative license on some aspects while other aspects is portraying the oil industry in such a way where little details of the show seems to get right.
For example, Tommy’s character who is always working and always on the road putting out one fire after another, is a divorcee trying to drown his sorrows with the daily beer and cigarettes he habitually smokes. Its quite accurate that many who work in similar positions in the oil industry have said that such people are married to their job as that comes first and if they are lucky may get to be at home once a month. Divorce rates are high for people working in such industries due to the amount of time that is spent on the job verses having a regular 9 to 5 job when one gets to be at home everyday with weekends off; not so for people who work similar jobs like Tommy Norris. Also there’s a lot of drug and alcohol use, so it’s safe to surmise the amount of broken marriages with many working in this industry who fit this personality type is quite common.
Another small detail that the show seemed to get right was the bikini-clad women serving up coffee, which makes a memorable impression on Cooper when he orders a latte while going out for the first time with his crew. Other oil patches have similar types of coffee service in real life such as Boomtown Babes Espresso in Williston, North Dakota. For example, they have the same bikini barista out in full force and are a signature part of its espresso experience. However most oil field workers would probably have a little more patience with coworkers ordering a latte rather than the one that is depicted in first episode.
One of the other details about Tommy Norris’s character that it completely misses is how he talks to mineral rights Landowners. He is rather rude and speaks his mind by telling them how it is. In reality manners actually matter and most people I have spoken with that work in these types of roles all have said the same thing; that if they talk to people like this they probably would have lost their jobs. One of the things they have stated is the importance of maintaining good relationships, and trying to find solutions that work for everyone. While some have acknowledged at times they would think about some of the things Tommy has said when discussing or negotiating certain details with difficult landowners while in disagreement, but never say them out loud to their customers or clients. They point out the importance of having positive relations due to the fact that they have to approach the same people over and over again and simply couldn’t afford having negative interactions; it’s a best foot forward mentality.
Another aspect of the show to which is one of the main conflicts that adds a sort of threatening tension is the drug cartel and their brazen acts while infiltrating US soil and making demands on the Oil Company. Tommy Norris unwillingly acts as the intermediary usually as a hostage and is suggestive of what possibilities would present itself should the drug cartels decide to up the ante with terrorist activities against the oil companies that would bring in the full might of resources of the US Government and military. However and typical of a Tyler Sheridan production this part of the story is way over the top and not a realistic portrayal of current day Mexican drug cartel activities and incursions into the US over the Southern border.
This aspect of the story that Sheridan inserted reminded us of the Apple TV mini series docu-drama “Cowboy Cartel”, a retelling of the story of the ruthless Mexico’s Los Zeta Cartel who orchestrated a multi-million dollar money-laundering scheme through the quarter horse racing industry. Such impressions left me wondering if Sheridan drew such inspirations from this real life tale to have this part of the story. It is also hard to imagine this aspect of the story remotely resembling reality even though there may have been some skirmishes here and there involving the drug cartel and oil company workers working closer to the southern border of the United States but never to the level where cartels are stealing oil company equipment and airplanes to conduct drug running. Sheridan did this kind of sensationalized fiction in his show “Yellowstone” by over romanticizing ranching with various shoot them up scenes, which doesn’t really happen in real life.
When looking closely to various story lines that happen throughout this television drama’s first season, it is the one involving Cooper, Norris’s son who is played by Jacob Lofland. At first impressions at the beginning of the story, Cooper is portrayed as this young green worm with a tinge of naivety who is in for a rude awakening when being introduced to a crew of roughnecks bent on playing practical jokes on him. However everything starts with an intriguing angle as we get to know Cooper’s character through expose, but as the story goes further is when it starts reaching for something that is not organic but a forced narrative.
At the beginning Cooper starts working with a crew who are a close nit of Mexican Americans who take Cooper under their wing to teach him the ropes on his first day. However that is shortly lived when the next day on the job while working on a Oil rig pump jack an explosion occurs killing the entire crew except Cooper who was sparred while fetching a tool from the work truck. As the story goes further, tension is then created when the surviving family members particularly cousins of the deceased crew members start suspecting Cooper may have had something to do with their deaths and thus a confrontation is ensued n that turned into physical altercation, threats between Cooper and the aggressive family members who also work in the Oil business.
After Cooper acquitted himself by fighting off these cousins of his former deceased workmates, the next day he decides to pay the family respect by visiting his coworker’s family during a period of mourning where his workmates family is having a gathering. It is during this time he ends up meeting a girl named Ariana who is the wife of one of the dead crew-members whose house where this family gathering is taking place. Something happens between the two in terms of chemistry but in a more subtle way, but it wasn’t unnoticed by the very same cousin who confronted him earlier. Next morning on the way to work with his new crew, the cousin sticks a knife in Cooper’s rib to warn him to stay away from his cousin’s wife or else he would kill him. Cooper’s story takes another turn when somehow he is contacted by Ariana and asks for his help on certain things regarding figuring out what to do in regards to settling her deceased late husbands estate. Somehow both Cooper and Ariana with a series of misfortune especially Cooper’s falling victim to being severely beaten by the cousin who warned him earlier about having contact with Ariana who finds out that he was at her house, ends up in a romantic relationship with Ariana. Ariana insists taking care of Cooper as he recuperates from his injuries, and while convalescing the two of them somehow fall for each other.
From a writer’s perspective, the two characters both young; naïve and still looking to find footing and an identity in a harsh world somehow find comfort in each other. On one side you have Copper who is still holding his family at a distance due to unresolved issues that forms this barrier between him and his father. On the other hand you have Ariana who still hasn’t properly mourned the death of her husband yet somehow has delayed that emotional closure by getting involved with Cooper.
While this part of the story seems rather thought out and somewhat holds the audience interest, it is not something that is original or develops organically and thus makes for good Television drama, the soap opera kind that is designed to act as a filling in for the overall story. However these types of characters are not a realistic portrayal of how things happen in real life especially involving two people from vastly different cultural backgrounds such as theirs. It is also not to say that these types of scenarios don’t happen n real life, but it is not common and very rare when they do occur. In other words its this part of the story of this television show that seems rather forced and over produced in order to fill another void aspect of the story.
In conclusion:
The one lasting impression that stood out the most to me when viewing Landman for the first time, is the fact it somehow and probably unintentionally displays a microcosmic look at American culture in the contemporary sense. It shows the dysfunction of the family unit, how the lack of moral values in ones up upbringings that encourages children to have cynical views of the world as well as promote a sense of hyper-sexuality as part of teenage adolescence coming of age that reveals the brokenness of having common decency towards others. Then there is also the adults who are either chasing greed and power only to be killed by it in the end in the form of regret and while the other prefers to drown in libations while ignoring or delaying themselves of facing their own harsh truths of their flaws while the days, months and years roll on. When viewing this from this perspective, there does seem to be an aspect of reality that comes off in the cast’s performance, which at times is rather painful to watch as its hard to find any type of inspiration gleaned from watching this show and take something of value away from it other than be confronted with the life that we are trying to escape from. Whether this is intentional or not is up for debate between the casual observer and the critic, and perhaps the real value is the profound aspect of facing our harsh realities as Americans and questioning our values that is venturing off into depravity and the loss of God.
Landman is a show of acquired tasted and typically made for the regular television watching audience. It’s a consumer’s choice when deciding how best to invest ones time when kicking back and relaxing with a dose of escapism when watching Landman, which of course is closer to certain depressing realities than divine inspiration to take away from. One thing that is typical of Sheridan’s produced Television dramas is the fact a lot of things go boom and tend to be scenes designed for shock and awe to suck in the audience to want more, but like all Sheridan’s Television shows, the shock and awe eventually goes away and then the story itself gets mired and dragged down by over the top and unrealistic character portrayals, slow story developments and dogged drama that sometimes borderlines on being boring or dragging on the story until the next boom, explosion or shocking developments take place. Sometimes altogether the story seems out of place when it comes to pacing and advancing the story to a new plateau. In order words most of Sheridan’s shows start off with a bang but soon eventually fizzle out without much fanfare to even remember what the story was even about in the end. On par with many other Sheridan shows, Landman offers a rugged narrative about salt of the Earth blue collar typical men and their family life, but it is the other things in between is where such portrayals and story telling gets confused with forced narratives and over sensationalized identities from real life to imitating fiction.
Even though Taylor Sheridan has been a successful writer for television for a large part of his career, his brief foray into feature length films are far more interesting and intense than his television dramas. Perhaps it is in this medium that his true potential remains to be seen and waits to be exploited to uncover the artist from within rather than another Hollywood agent looking to remain employed and relevant.
