Taylor Sheridan’s Landman arrives on Paramount+ with the familiar weight of expectations. Sheridan’s built a brand around stoic men facing harsh landscapes, complicated family dynamics, and moral compromises. Landman, thankfully, doesn’t stray too far from this well-established formula, delivering a sturdy, if somewhat predictable, drama set against the backdrop of the Texas oil industry.
Billy Bob Thornton, a natural fit for the Sheridan-verse, plays Tommy, an “oil fixer” for a large corporation. He’s the guy you call when a rig explodes, a landowner needs persuading, or a competitor requires…discouraging. Thornton imbues Tommy with a world-weariness that suggests a man who’s seen it all, done it all, and probably regrets most of it. He’s the kind of character who can deliver a threat with a twinkle in his eye, and Thornton nails it.
Jon Hamm, trading Don Draper’s suits for oil-stained boots, is Monty, a billionaire with a smooth demeanor and an ambitious plan to reshape the West Texas oil landscape. Hamm excels at portraying characters with hidden depths, and Monty, despite his privileged background, hints at a complicated past that’s sure to intersect with Tommy’s. Their initial interactions suggest a history – a shared understanding built on years of operating in a cutthroat industry.
The first two episodes establish the high stakes of the oil business, both financial and physical. A near-disaster on a rig underscores the inherent dangers of the work, while the maneuvering for mineral rights reveals the ruthless competition driving these men. The series also introduces the women in Tommy’s life: his daughter Ainsley (Kaitlyn Dever), grappling with her father’s choices, and his sharp-tongued ex-wife Angela (Michelle Randolph). While the focus remains firmly on Tommy, these relationships add some depth to the narrative, preventing it from becoming purely a testosterone-fueled power struggle.
While Demi Moore’s presence is touted, her role as a university professor feels underdeveloped in these opening episodes. It’s a familiar Sheridan trope — the strong, independent woman on the periphery of the main action — and I hopes Landman finds a more compelling way to integrate her character into the central narrative as the season progresses.
Landman is likely to satisfy Sheridan fans looking for another dose of gritty realism, morally ambiguous characters, and a peek into a world rarely depicted on television. Whether it can transcend the familiar remains to be seen, but with Thornton and Hamm at the helm, it’s certainly worth a look.
