TV Review: LANDMAN Season 1 From a Local’s Perspective

Cassie Holguin

Tommy Norris talks on the phone as he stands in front of a pumpjack in the series Landman.

Landman is a drama series created by Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone, Tulsa King) that explores the oilfield in the boomtowns of West Texas. Confrontations with the cartel, containing massive explosions and negotiating million-dollar deals may sound like a lot, but this is just another day on the job for landman Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton).

Landman 

As the landman for a West Texas oilfield company, Tommy’s job is to secure land rights so his employer, M-Tex, can drill for oil. This can mean nail-biting negotiations with anyone, from ruthless cartel members to stubborn cattle ranchers. 

Tommy Norris from Landman stands in front of an M-Tex oil truck with a large wind turbine behind him.
Photo courtesy of IMDb.

Norris explains early on that oil and gas is the seventh largest industry in the world. It makes 3 billion dollars a day in profit and generates over 4 trillion dollars a year in revenue. The show follows Tommy, his coworkers, and his family as they all live day to day at the whim of the unpredictable and often fickle West Texas oil industry. 

RELATED: TV Review: Squid Game Season 2

Thematic Potential

The dichotomy between the billionaire tycoons and the working class who carry them is an interesting dynamic that could use some more exploring. Class division is a prevalent theme now more than ever, and it seems like a missed opportunity to be an important voice.

A roughneck wearing a safety helmet and gloves is covered in oil and looks up to the sky.
Photo courtesy of IMDb.

While the show does tend to glorify the oilfield and capitalism, it does a good job of stressing how much the people who live in West Texas rely on the oil industry. Sadly, for many in the area, the oilfield is often the only option to make a livable wage, especially in this economy. But when things inevitably bust, the families who depend on those paychecks suffer the most.

For example, Tommy’s first marriage dissolved because of a bust when his wife couldn’t live without the hefty paychecks. Granted, Angela Norris (Ali Larter) is extremely materialistic, but unfortunately, this happens to normal hardworking people all the time. 

RELATED: Yellowjackets Season 3 Trailer Puts the Pedal to the Metal

Because the area’s economy is based completely on the oilfield, there aren’t a ton of career paths to choose from. People lose their lives every day in the oilfield trying to provide for themselves or their families because they have no other option. Sheridan does a solid job of portraying the good, the bad and the extremely ugly facets of the Permian Basin oil dependency. 

Three roughnecks stand at the bottom of a burning oilrig.
Photo courtesy of IMDb.

A Little Tone Deaf

Landman has not quite found its voice in the first season, and the tone tends to be all over the place. It jerks around from dramatic to irreverent rather than blending the two. It feels like pieces of action, drama and comedy thrown rather than tied together. There is definitely potential here, so hopefully, the show finds its voice and footing in Season 2.

Characters and Relationships

Billy Bob Thornton does a stellar job of portraying the rough-around-the-edges hardass who makes everyone around him feel like an idiot. Trust me, I grew up around plenty of them. As a native Texan, I did appreciate the references to quirky Texan tendencies. For example, instead of seeking desperately needed medical attention, Tommy simply requests a cigarette and a Dr Pepper.

RELATED: TV Review: Severance Season 2

Thornton’s performance as Tommy carries the show simply because no other character is quite as interesting. Even Jon Hamm and Demi Moore’s characters are more like background filler. All the other characters are hardly developed, static characters, especially the women, who are mostly one-sided stereotypes.

Nearly, if not all, of the women in Landman are represented negatively. Tommy’s wife and daughter are both obnoxious, promiscuous and materialistic women about as deep as a puddle. However unlikable, Ali Larter does an excellent job at playing this character, and things are never boring when she’s on screen. 

Angela and Ainsley Norris smile as they step off of a plane together.
Photo courtesy of IMDb.

Consequently, the relationship between Tommy, his wife and his daughter is one of my least favorite aspects of the show. I imagine that for most people (me included), the interactions between Tommy and his daughter are awkward, wildly inappropriate, uncomfortable and unrealistic. Furthermore, the way the show strangely goes out of its way to sexualize the teenage daughter is off-putting and distracting. 

RELATED: Everything Coming to Netflix in February 2025

More One-Sided Women

Additionally, a new mother and recently widowed Ariana (Paulina Chávez) is rendered completely helpless until Cooper Norris (Jacob Lofland) swoops in to save the day. Ultimately, she still ends up taking care of him. The most capable female in the show is the accomplished lawyer Rebecca Falcone (Kayla Wallace), who is portrayed as an unlikable ice queen that none of the men can stand to be around.

Rebecca Falcone speaks passionately at a conference table as Tommy and Nathan look on in Landman.
Photo courtesy of IMDb.

Although to be fair, she is a barracuda of a lawyer whose job is to secure assets for the oil companies, even if it means screwing over honest and hardworking people. Despite her impressive resume, Rebecca is repeatedly disrespected, but things change as she becomes a useful asset to the company.   

RELATED: TV Review: The Night Agent Season 2

Most of this seems thrown in haphazardly to make the show more dramatic. However, it is unnecessary because Norris playing hardball with oil tycoons is entertaining enough. 

From A Local’s Perspective

I grew up in the Permian Basin where Landman takes place, and I must say Sheridan’s portrayal of the oilfield is nearly spot on. It is dangerous and dirty work that many know very little about. While some may never need to consider the ins and outs of the industry, unfortunately, oil booms and busts affect the livelihoods of everyone who works here in the oilfield.

RELATED: TV Review: The Couple Next Door Season 1

Pretty much everything in this area (and surrounding areas) depends on the oil and gas industry. While the oil brings money to our economy, a boom brings plenty of problems like overcrowding and rising crime rates. However, the dismal truth is that without the money from the oilfield, the economy and people of this area suffer greatly. As Tommy so eloquently puts it, “Cuz if I’m gone, that means the oil’s gone, and if the oil’s gone, that means the money’s gone, and that means you’re gone.”

Tommy stands in a local dive bar holding a pool stick, cigarette, and beer.
Photo courtesy of IMDb.

Although the voice, direction and characters could use some development, the series is worth watching for Thornton’s performance alone. Overall, Landman offers a unique and eye-opening perspective of the oil field industry in Texas. 

Season 1 of Landman is now streaming on Paramount+

What’s New on TV This Week (Jan 19 – 25)

Cassie Holguin