# Landman (TV series)

Landman (stylized as LANDMAN) is an American drama television series created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, inspired by the podcast 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.

## 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." The lead character, Tommy Norris, can be abrasive, as is the out-of-town lawyer investigating a fatal accident early in the season.

## Cast
### Main

* Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris, a combination of a petroleum Landman and an Operations VP at an oil company.
* Demi Moore as Cami Miller, Monty's wife and Tommy's friend
* Jon Hamm as Monty Miller. The owner of M-Tex with a long personal and professional relationship with Tommy
* 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 wife
* Kayla Wallace as Rebecca Falcone, a causation lawyer.
* Mark Collie as Sheriff Walt Joeberg
* James Jordan as Dale Bradley, a petroleum engineer.

### Recurring

* Colm Feore as Nathan, an oil company attorney and administrator.
* Alex Meraz as Jimenez, the local Midland manager for an international drug cartel
* Mustafa Speaks as Theodore "Boss" Ramone, the lead oil crewman on Cooper's second crew

### 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 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 who dislikes Cooper and a cousin of everyone on Cooper's first crew
* J.R. Villarreal as Manuel Lopez, another member of Boss's oil crew who also dislikes Cooper and another cousin of everyone on Cooper's first crew
* 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
* Andy García as Galino, a member of Jimenez's cartel who disagrees with the way Jimenez's is running his territory

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Landman" | Taylor Sheridan | Taylor Sheridan | November 17, 2024 (2024-11-17) |
| Tommy Norris, a landman for M-TEX Oil, is taken hostage by a cartel but manages to negotiate a surface lease to secure his freedom. Meanwhile, his daughter Ainsley moves in, and his son Cooper survives a tragic rig explosion. |||||
| 2 | "Dreamers and Losers" | Taylor Sheridan | Taylor Sheridan | November 17, 2024 (2024-11-17) |
| Tommy deals with the fallout of the rig accident while Cooper struggles with survivor's guilt. Ainsley's presence in the oil house causes tension, and Tommy tries to keep his work and family life from colliding. |||||
| 3 | "Hell Has a Front Yard" | Stephen Kay | Taylor Sheridan | November 24, 2024 (2024-11-24) |
| Cooper starts earning respect at the patch, but Tommy's ex-wife Angela returns, bringing up past tensions. Tommy struggles to balance his family and his dangerous work. |||||
| 4 | "The Sting of Second Chances" | Stephen Kay | Taylor Sheridan | December 1, 2024 (2024-12-01) |
| Attorney Rebecca Falcone defends Tommy in a legal dispute while Cooper receives a call from Ariana, the widow of a lost coworker, sparking a complicated relationship. |||||
| 5 | "Where is Home" | Stephen Kay | Taylor Sheridan | December 8, 2024 (2024-12-08) |
| Tommy faces a confrontation with a cartel leader at the patch while Angela attempts to bring the family together for a tense dinner at the oil house. |||||
| 6 | "Beware the Second Beating" | Michael Friedman | Taylor Sheridan | December 15, 2024 (2024-12-15) |
| Angela has an unsettling visit with Victor, while Cooper leans on his family for support. Tommy prepares for the next threat. |||||
| 7 | "All Roads Lead to a Hole" | Michael Friedman | Taylor Sheridan | December 22, 2024 (2024-12-22) |
| Tommy's feud with the cartel intensifies, forcing him into a dangerous position. Angela and Ainsley try to connect with the local community. |||||
| 8 | "Clumsy, This Life" | Stephen Kay | Taylor Sheridan | December 29, 2024 (2024-12-29) |
| Tommy turns to the National Guard for help against cartel threats. Meanwhile, Rebecca grows suspicious of Cooper's motives. |||||
| 9 | "WolfCamp" | Stephen Kay | Taylor Sheridan | January 5, 2025 (2025-01-05) |
| Monty suffers a health scare, putting Tommy in a tough spot regarding the company's leadership. Cooper devises a high-stakes plan. |||||
| 10 | "The Crumbs of Hope" | Stephen Kay | Taylor Sheridan | January 12, 2025 (2025-01-12) |
| Tommy and Cami weigh a financial gamble while the cartel makes a final, deadly move. The season ends with an uncertain future for the Norris family. |||||

## 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. In May 2023, Jacob Lofland, Ali Larter, and Michelle Randolph joined the series. In January 2024, Kayla Wallace, James Jordan, Mark Collie, and Paulina Chávez joined the series as series regulars. In February 2024, it was reported that Jon Hamm joined the series. In April 2024, it was reported that Octavio Rodriguez and J.R. Villarreal joined the series as recurring characters.
In May 2024, it was confirmed by Demi Moore that a second season was planned, with production set to commence in early 2025. In March 2025, Paramount+ renewed the series for a second season.

### Filming

Filming started in and around Fort Worth, Texas, in February 2024 and concluded in June 2024. 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.

## Release

The first season launched with two episodes on Sunday, November 17, 2024. Subsequent episodes of the 10-episode first season were available weekly on Sundays through January 12, 2025.

## Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 78% based on 36 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. 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. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 60 out of 100 based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

### Scientific Veracity

These dialogues, by Norris, that included a narrative about renewable energy have been criticized.
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 won't offset the costs in its 20 year lifespan. This lead many right-leaning users (including fossil fuel advocates, oil executives and a US senator) on social media to repost the clip. However, the scientific veracty of such claims have been challenged. A 2016 paper from Scotland's Rural College estimated from 14 wind turbines that the will have completely offset their carbon emissions within 0.9 - 4.3% of their lifetime.
A 2019 study in the Environmental Science & Technology, assessing 4,161 turbines estimated that the GHG payback time for wind varied from 1.8 to 22.5 months, averaging at 5.3 months compared to fossil fuels. A 2024 paper from the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, assessing a 41 turbine 176Mw farm, found an approximately 1.5-1.7 year GHG payback time. It also acknowledges difficulties with end-of-life recycling.

### Accolades

| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
| 2024 | Satellite Awards | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Billy Bob Thornton | Nominated | |
| 2025 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Billy Bob Thornton | Nominated | |