Landman’ review: Just the bad stuff from ‘Yellowstone’
Yellowstone’s “Landman” Fails to Impress: A Disastrous Misfire from Taylor Sheridan
Taylor Sheridan, the acclaimed creator of Yellowstone, has delivered hits like 1883, 1923, and Tulsa King. His newest show, Landman, premiered on Paramount+ on [insert specific date if known] and stars Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore, and Jon Hamm. While expectations were high for this Texas oil-industry drama, Landman disappoints in nearly every way, becoming Sheridan’s weakest offering yet.
What Is Landman About?
The show follows Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton), a “fixer” for a Texas oil tycoon, Monty Miller (Jon Hamm). Tommy’s job is as gritty as it gets—making deals with cartels, handling worker deaths, and keeping his boss out of legal trouble. Demi Moore plays Monty’s wife, Cami, a glamorous but shallow figure who adds little depth to the plot.
Tommy’s personal life is a storm of clichés. His rebellious son, Cooper, works on oil rigs instead of finishing college, while his wild daughter, Ainsley, takes the “spoiled troublemaker” trope to an unsettling extreme. Add in a combative ex-wife, Angela (Ali Larter), and a stereotypical icy lawyer, Rebecca Savage, and you have a cast of cardboard characters trudging through a dull, predictable narrative.
The Major Problems with Landman
1. Uninspired Characters and Storylines
Sheridan has built his reputation on compelling, larger-than-life characters, but Landman feels like it was written on autopilot. Every character is a stereotype:
- Tommy Norris: The grizzled, morally compromised antihero.
- Cooper Norris: The ungrateful, know-it-all son.
- Angela: The oversexed, irresponsible ex-wife.
- Rebecca Savage: The “frigid female lawyer” cliché, signaled by her painfully on-the-nose name.
Even Jon Hamm’s portrayal of billionaire Monty Miller falls flat, reduced to little more than phone calls and terse instructions.
2. Exploitative Scenes
What sets Landman apart—for all the wrong reasons—is its inappropriate and gratuitous focus on Ainsley (played by Michelle Randolph). Her character, a teenage girl, is subjected to deeply uncomfortable scenes that border on soft-core exploitation. Shots of Ainsley in suggestive poses or inappropriate situations feel grossly unnecessary, reducing her to a fantasy object rather than a meaningful part of the plot.
3. A Missed Opportunity with the Texas Oil Industry
Based on the podcast Boomtown, Landman had the chance to explore the complex, high-stakes world of the oil industry. But instead of diving into the environmental, economic, and cultural nuances of Texas oil, the show offers generic settings and tired storylines. It barely scratches the surface of the very issues that make this industry fascinating and relevant.
What Could Have Been
Landman could have been a gripping tale of modern-day oil barons, blending the ethical dilemmas of fossil fuel extraction with the personal dramas of those in power. Instead, it’s a dull, overly melodramatic soap opera.
Sheridan’s earlier works, like Yellowstone and 1883, succeeded because of their raw emotion, rich characters, and vivid sense of place. But in Landman, the Texas backdrop feels interchangeable with any generic Southern setting. The lack of authenticity and originality is a stark departure from Sheridan’s usual brilliance.
Fans Deserve Better
Paramount+ has been riding on the success of Sheridan’s Yellowstone franchise, banking on his ability to churn out hit after hit. But Landman proves that even the most talented creators can stumble when they start copying themselves.
The series is frustrating because it shows glimmers of what could have been. The Texas oil industry is ripe for compelling stories, and the cast is stacked with talent. But instead of delivering a show worthy of its pedigree, Sheridan gives us a lazy, offensive misfire.
For fans of Yellowstone, the message is clear: Skip Landman. If you’re craving a Sheridan-style drama, revisit 1883 or Tulsa King. At least those shows respect your time.
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